Firefly's Light
by Daughter of Horus
Summary: Luciola died without ever telling Dio he loved him. When he is given another chance, will he be able to find Dio again? And if he does, will it be too late? Dio/Luciola.
1. First Light

As he took the ring, as his consciousness shattered into a million tiny pieces, one single thought flashed into Luciola's mind.

_Lord Dio…_

Everything was cold, overwhelming cold, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. Except at the very end.

_I never told him I loved him._

&

At that very moment, in a Norkia hospital, a young man lay in a hospital bed. He was breathing, but only just. The doctor turned to her nurse and shook her head sadly. "His heart rate is slowing down. He won't last much longer; the only thing we can do now is wait."

The nurse nodded briskly and dabbed the man's forehead with a damp cloth. "Yes, Doctor. It's such a shame, though. A young man like this, dying from a fall down the stairs. And nobody even came to visit him at all…I suppose he doesn't have any family."

With a last, shuddering gasp, Curtos Atreides died.

And in that moment, Luciola of the Guild was reborn.

&

Dio woke up with a start. _This isn't the Guild! Where am I?_

It was a vast, well-furnished room, and he was lying on a bed with soft sheets—sheets which were nearly thrown to the floor in his hurry to get out. He giggled quietly to himself as he crept out of the room. _I know what I'll do. I'll find Luciola, and we'll go flying together! It'll be so much fun. Now, where to find a ship…_

He eventually came across a vanship, deep in the hangar of what he had come to realize was a mansion. As quietly as possible, he heaved himself into the pilot's seat.

_Time to go flying!_

&

Luciola sat up in bed, glaring at the nurse who was taking blood from him. "I told you, I'm perfectly fine." Then he winced. _My voice sounds so hoarse._

The doctor mopped her forehead with a handkerchief. She had sagged into the nearest available chair, almost fainting from the shock of seeing a dead man open his eyes. "You may _feel_ fine, but we'll see once the tests come back. You were unconscious for two months, you know."

Luciola thought for a moment. _Now's a good a time as any to find out about what happened. _"Actually, my memory isn't that great. Can you maybe tell me how I got here?"

The doctor shrugged. "You fell down a flight of stairs and sustained a very nasty blow to the head. We were about to give up on you, but I suppose our fears were groundless, Mr. Atreides."

_Mr…Atreides?_

Finally, hours later, after the doctor and the nurse had taken blood samples and urine samples and tested his reflexes and all the thousand other things which needed to be checked after one rose from the dead were complete, Luciola got up from the hospital bed and checked the hospital chart at its foot.

_Name: Curtos Atreides. Age: 19. Height: 5'10. Weight: 175 lbs. Injuries consistent with a fall down a flight of stairs; fractured skull and multiple contusions. Address: 1047 512__th__ street, Norkia._

…_Norkia? That's where Claus said he was from. Now that I know who I am, I suppose I'd better get an idea of what I look like._

He went into the tiny attached bathroom. There was a mirror there.

He stared at his face. It was not his face, not the face he was used to seeing. It was narrower, more angular, and the eyes were a vivid green instead of a clear blue. His hair was different, too, a shaggy dark brown instead of a close-cropped platinum blond. There was a thick fuzz of facial hair. He turned his attention to the rest of his body; slim, not as muscular as it could be, and with a slightly darker skin tone than he used to have.

He stretched, arching his back and feeling cartilage pop in his joints. His movements weren't as fluid and graceful as they once were, but they would do. Not bad, for a dead man.

_So…I died. I died, and now I'm back. In this body. _

It was clear to him what he had to do. He had been reborn for some purpose, he was sure. And that purpose was to find Dio.

The Guild would not stop him. Cicada was dead. Lack of money, lack of transportation, the disadvantage of having no earthly idea where to find his master; these would not stop him.

_I will find him. It may take me years; I have no idea where to begin looking; but I will find him. Because I am Lord Dio's friend. And I love him._

&

Dio was falling.

The winds buffeted him, throwing him first this way, now that way. One strong gust spun him nearly horizontal for a few minutes. If this continued, he would be crushed by the next solid object he impacted, unless the wind tore him to pieces first.

He didn't care.

_Luciola…Luciola is gone! Just because I said to jump out…he's gone!_ He would have wept, but could barely even draw in enough air to breathe.

And so he plummeted, down, down, down…and then the Silvana caught him.

&

On the third day since Luciola came back to life, he had a visitor.

The doctor showed a young woman in and shut the door behind her. "I'll just leave you two alone now."

She smiled at him, settling into the chair by his bed and smoothing out the creases in her blue dress. He nodded in acknowledgement, but did not speak.

She broke the silence. "I brought you some clothes. The doctors tell me you're okay to be released. I'll walk you home."

The shirt was rough and scratchy to someone who was used to the tight, smooth elastic of Guild bodysuits. The baggy pants showed signs of wear and tear, but they were clean and they fit, so he put them on along with the striped wool socks and tough boots. The entire outfit was heavier than he was used to, but he wasn't complaining.

As soon as they were out of the hospital, she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Now…mind telling me who you are?"

He flinched in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

She sighed and shook her head. A few tendrils of dark hair had escaped from her hair clip, and Luciola noticed that he'd never seen a black-haired woman before. "I know you're not Curtos. Curtos would never have a kind expression in his eyes, and he'd never wear those socks I knitted. So answer me. Who are you?"

He thought for a moment. _She obviously knows the man who used to use this body. It would be useless to try to fool her._ "My name is Luciola."

There was an awkward silence between then as they walked, and he realized that she was waiting for a last name. "Just Luciola."

She smiled. "Pleased to meet you…Luciola."

He nodded. "Now it's your turn. Who are you, and why would you knit Curtos socks?"

They were going up a flight of stairs, and she stopped to catch her breath. "Daphne Korakos. I'm your—well, Curtos'—next-door neighbor. And I knitted him socks because he kept wearing holes through them, and I was sick of seeing holey socks on the clothesline."

They stopped in front of a nondescript, three-story building. Daphne's eyes were steely. "This is your house. We can talk more inside, once we've had something to eat. And you will tell me _exactly_ how you came to be in Curtos' body."

&

Dio tossed and turned, mumbling incoherently. He was unconscious, as he had been since landing. This time, to prevent another incident, he was strapped to the bunk; the crewmembers had donated their belts for this purpose, and the leather strained visibly to hold him. "Luci…Luciola…"

Claus stood by the side of the bed. Dio was strange and more than slightly annoying at times, but he was a friend, and it hurt to see him slipping away from reality. "Is there any chance of him ever recovering?"

Lescius sighed. "I don't know. The Trial of Agoon was started after I left the Guild, so I've never seen its aftermath. If—no, _when_—he wakes up, we'll see what we can do."

If there was anything at all to be done. Lescius realized that Dio, if he woke up, would likely spend the rest of his life insane, and was suddenly filled with a new surge of hatred for Delphine. _No child should live his life like this._

&

Daphne fixed sandwiches for herself and Luciola and sat down on the rickety couch that had apparently been one of Curtos' only pieces of furniture. "So, tell me. Who are you, really? Why are you here?"

Luciola took a seat on an upturned milk crate and looked around. Curtos' apartment was shabby, but more or less clean. There was a photograph on the wall that had been ripped in half, but from where he was sitting he couldn't quite make out what it was. He took a hesitant bite of his sandwich—smoked meat and some kind of dark bread—before answering. "I am Luciola. I am searching for a young man with white hair, dressed in the manner of the Guild. His name is Dio Eraclea. And as for how I came to inhabit your friend's body…I'm not sure. All I know is that I was dead."

Daphne's eyes narrowed. "Curtos was nobody's friend. If you need help to search for your Dio, you picked a terrible body to do it in. My advice is that you change your appearance as much as possible, and pray nobody recognizes you."

'_My' Dio…?_ He was vaguely annoyed to find his face heating up at the thought, and sought to change the subject. "If he was nobody's friend, why did you go through the trouble of knitting for him?"

It would have been imperceptible to most normal people, but Luciola saw her flinch ever-so-slightly before she replied. "I live alone. Knitting is a hobby of mine. Besides, it helps pay the bills and my navigation lessons."

_That_ certainly got Luciola's attention. He forced down a half-chewed mouthful of sandwich to ask, "Navigation lessons? For a vanship?"

Daphne beamed. "Yes, for a vanship! I've always wanted to travel, you see, and a vanship is the most effective way to go from town to town. My uncle was a vanship pilot. When he was crippled in an accident five years ago, he gave his vanship to me, since he doesn't have children and my father didn't want it. I don't have space here, so it's at the Union headquarters. This may be a shot in the dark, here…but are you by any chance a vanship pilot?"

Luciola nodded. _This girl may be my ticket to finding Lord Dio._

If possible, her grin became even wider. "Then I've got an idea. Since you'll probably need a vanship and a navigator to find your Dio, and I have a vanship and need a pilot…why don't we team up? That way we both get what we want." She offered a hand for him to shake.

Slowly, he took it. "…Thank you."

"Oh, don't mention it! Just…go slowly, alright? I'm not that good of a navi yet, and I don't think my old vanship could handle it."

He briefly squeezed his eyes shut. _A half-trained navigator and an old vanship…Oh, Lord Dio…it could be a long time until I find you._


	2. Second Light

One of the many ways in which humans were different from the Guild was in their enthusiastic embrace of that form of housing known as the "apartment building". Thus, Luciola was woken up, not by a chirping bird or by the sunlight streaming through the less-than-clean window shades, but by the sound of two people having an argument on the floor above him. His internal clock told him it was early, and so he briefly debated staying in bed a few more minutes, but got up anyway. He had things to do.

There weren't many clothes to choose from in Curtos' closet, but the mere fact that there were choices caused him to spend several minutes staring at the clothes. Finally, he grabbed a black shirt and the same pair of pants he had worn yesterday. It wouldn't kill him to wear them again.

_Miss Daphne told me to change my appearance. I suppose I'd better get started._ He ran a hand over his stubbly chin. It felt odd, to say the least—Luciola had never had to shave before.

The bathroom was dingy, lit only by a bare light bulb, and Luciola swore he heard a rat scratching in the walls, but there was a mirror, a faucet with running water—cold, but it would do—and a tattered toothbrush. A thorough examination of the cabinet under the sink yielded a razor and a pair of scissors. After brushing his teeth, he reached for the razor. He was very careful.

As he took up the scissors and grabbed a handful of lank hair, someone knocked on his door. He wrenched it open to find Daphne standing there, wearing pants, a sleeveless top, and a skeptical glare. "Hurry up; we have stuff to do. What are you doing?"

"Trying to cut my hair. You told me I should change my appearance."

Daphne sighed and took the scissors from him. "You'll take forever. I wanted to get you down to the vanship union so you could take a look at my vanship before the crowds get too thick. Here, sit."

He took a seat on the same convenient crate that had served yesterday; Daphne stood behind him. "How short do you want it?"

"Short."

At first, there was silence, save for the steady _snick_ of the scissors. From where Luciola was sitting, he could finally take a better look at the picture he had noticed yesterday. It showed a younger Curtos with his arm around somebody who had been torn out of the frame.

Daphne, as usual, broke the silence. "Luciola, right? Doesn't that mean 'firefly'? I didn't know the Guild liked giving kids insect names."

Luciola did not reply. Maybe if he stayed silent, she would take the hint.

No such luck. Subtlety was lost on her, and so with nothing else to focus on Luciola listened as she chattered about the weather (sunny, just like yesterday and the day before), her job (she had been a desk clerk in a fancy hotel until her boss fired her for wanting a raise), and the people who lived across the hall from her (Luciola's upstairs neighbors; creepy).

Finally, after what seemed like forever but was probably only ten minutes, she shoved a small mirror in front of his face. "Well? What do you think?"

Luciola stared. Curtos' face looked different without all that hair in front of it. It wasn't as short or as neat as his hair had once been, but he had to admit Daphne had done a good job. _It almost looks…like me. Like how I used to look._

"Good, huh? Now come on."

The Norkia vanship union consisted of a front desk, a tiny stall which dispensed water and snacks, and a vast hangar. Although it was still early, there was already a sizeable crowd of people there. Daphne strode through it, head held high as she pointedly ignored the jibes and catcalls thrown her way. Luciola followed, trying to resist the temptation to break a few of their heads. _The mechanics on board the Silvana were not exactly friendly towards me or Lord Dio, but they were not nearly as rude as these people._

"Hey, Daphne! Who's the sacrificial lamb this time?"

"Aww, Daphne's got a new pilot—how cute."

"Think this one'll last the month?"

"Three Claudia says he won't last a week!"

"Nice knowin' you, kid!"

Even among all the other vanships in the hangar, Luciola recognized Daphne's before she pointed it out. It was a racing vanship, and had plainly once been black with blue stripes before the paint had started to peel. It bore several large and impressive dents, as well as a set of long scratches down the side.

"There she is—my vanship. Isn't it wonderful? Shame about the rotation compressor, though. And you really don't want to know about the boiler."

Luciola groaned and opened the maintenance hatch. Daphne handed him a small toolkit, and as he surveyed the damage he heard someone come up behind him. A man's voice rumbled behind him, "Who's the new pilot? He looks familiar."

Being elbow-deep in primitive cables, he couldn't see Daphne, but he had the feeling she was glaring. "Not that it's any of your business, Aias, but he's Luciola. He's a great mechanics, and as soon as he's done with our vanship, we're gonna blow you and that skinny little Teucros out of the sky at the Norkia Cup!"

The man laughed. "You? You couldn't navigate your way out of a paper bag. Look at your face—you know it's true."

As Daphne spluttered, Luciola rested his forehead on a convenient section of pipe. _Oh, Lord Dio…this might take a lot longer than I'd hoped._

&

A bone-chilling shriek of despair and rage rose up from the depths of the Silvana and reverberated throughout its halls. All those who heard it, from the mechanics to the command center, winced and clapped their hands over their ears. Wina almost fainted from the sound. Eventually, it faded to sobs, and then to quiet whimpers.

Dio was awake. The first coherent words out of his mouth had been to demand knowledge of Luciola's whereabouts. Claus and Lavie had been the ones to tell him.

He was silent now. He was still tied to the bunk, but loosely, and so he curled up into a ball and buried his face in his hands. Claus and Lavie had taken the precaution of removing anything that could be used as a weapon before leaving.

Lavie shut the door behind her and leaned against it. "I feel so bad for Dio. After that Rite of the Covenant, he was totally gone. And now this…Do you think he'll ever be the same?"

"I don't know," Claus said. "I just don't know. All we can do is wait and see."

"If you say so." Though Lavie said this, she knew that there was a very good chance that Dio might not ever recover; that he might spend the rest of his life insane.

&

A month passed slowly. One day, Luciola looked up in the sky and saw another world suspended in it—Disith. From gossip, rumors, and the occasional official newspaper report, he and Daphne pieced together what had happened—Alvis had awakened Exile, and the Grand Stream was dissipated. As the days grew hotter and hotter and rumors of the end of the world began to circulate, more and more people left, drawn by stories of a blue planet and clean, fresh water.

Luciola and Daphne stayed. He spent his days working on the vanship—_their_ vanship, now—or training. She studied maps and worked with the older men at the vanship union to improve her navigational skills. Although she grew better quickly, Luciola allowed himself a tiny bit of pride to think that she would never be as good as he himself had been.

Finally—after a string of all-nighters at the vanship union, after headaches and bruises and cuts—the vanship was once again capable of flight.

When they set off, it was a clear, windy day. A crowd had gathered to watch and jeer; Daphne waved to them cheerfully as she swung herself into the navi's seat behind Luciola. She raised her voice slightly to be heard above the crowd. "Where to?"

Luciola had to shout to be heard over the wind as he started up the vanship. "Horizon Cave!" _If Dio…if Lord Dio is safe aboard the Silvana, then that's where we should start looking._

That night, they stopped in the tiny outpost of Minos for food, water, and a bed for the night. The hangar was vast and empty, but there was a stall set up in one dark corner. Its owner, who was only too happy to sell them Fifth Water and sandwiches, could have been the twin of the man who ran the Norkia stall. Luciola was beginning to suspect all snack-stall owners were cut from the same cloth.

As they took seats at a rickety table held together by three nails and a bit of tape, Daphne asked, "So, about this 'Dio' you're looking for. What's he like?"

Luciola took a sip of water to give himself time to think, grimacing at the feel and taste of grit in his mouth before answering. "Lord Dio is…different. Some might call him strange. He is easily distracted and loves flying vanships." Unbeknownst to himself, Luciola started to smile, recalling Dio's love for flashy, high-speed (and, he was forced to admit, _dangerous_) stunts. "And cake. He loves sweets. And giving people odd nicknames."

Daphne tore at her sandwich hungrily for a few minutes before asking. "So, is he your boyfriend or something?"

He choked on his sandwich. After some back-pounding from a concerned Daphne and a little coughing and wheezing on his part, he replied—clearly and loudly, so there could be no mistake—"Lord Dio is not my boyfriend. He is not my lover, or anything of the sort. He is…"

And here Luciola paused. _What is Lord Dio to me, truly? He is certainly my friend and companion, and I love him dearly. But there is a difference between the kind of love I feel for him and the kind of 'love' that involves pinning someone up against a convenient flat surface and doing various obscene things with them. Not that I would ever think about my Lord in such a way…_

Daphne nodded sagely. "So he's not your boyfriend, but you wish he was, don't you?"

He pretended to be very interested in the remains of his sandwich.

&

The blue planet was beautiful. Rich fields of wheat and other grains stretched as far as the eye could see. There was clear, fresh water available for everyone—First Water, the very best. Natural resources such as coal, Claudia, and salt were in abundance. As more and more people arrived, houses sprang up like mushrooms built from materials brought over from Prester. Given time, these houses would coalesce into villages, then towns, then great cities. But that was many years away, perhaps centuries.

As part of the crew of the Silvana, Mullin and Dunya—along with her many siblings—had been one of the first people to settle. Their house, cobbled together from wood and corrugated iron, was sturdy and large enough to house everyone, including Claus, Lavie, and Alvis.

And Dio as well.

He was awake now, vaguely aware of what had happened around him—Exile had awakened, his sister Delphine was dead, the Guild was shattered, Sophia had left the Silvana to shepherd her people to the blue planet as Empress—but he didn't care. Nothing was important anymore.

Now he stood in the bathroom, staring at his face in the mirror. The Guild mark was still there, still a vivid orange.

_Luciola is dead he's dead never coming back it's all my fault my fault mine and the Guild it's all the fault of this Guild mark—this Guild mark!_

It had to go. And there was only one way to get rid of it. Dio cast about wildly. There was a razor blade in the drawer, wasn't there? Yes. And it was sharp.

He raised it to his forehead and made the first cut.

&

As the sun went down on their second day of traveling, Luciola and Daphne pulled their vanship into Horizon Cave. There was no sign of the Silvana. As she pulled out her bag, she asked, "Hey, what are you looking for, anyway?"

Luciola continued to scan the area. There was nobody around, except another pair of vanship aviators on the far side of the hangar. "The Silvana."

Daphne dropped her bag; it landed on the floor with a thud. Heedless, she yelped, "Are you crazy? The _Kill-'Em-All_ Silvana? Why the hell are you looking for the Silvana?"

Luciola sighed. "Because Lord Dio and I were once on that ship. If I can find the Silvana, I might find Lord Dio."

Any reply Daphne might have made escaped Luciola's notice, as one half of the young couple in the hangar—a young man with curly hair and very expensive-looking clothes—walked up to him. "Curtos Atreides?" His tone was anything but friendly.

Luciola paused. He had no idea who this person was, so it was best to be truthful. "What are you talking about?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Don't play dumb with me! You tried to kill my brother!"

Luciola glanced around. There was no one else around, and Daphne was useless in a fight—for a fight was most certainly brewing. He just wasn't sure his new body was up to it.


	3. Third Light

Dio was, once again, strapped to his bed. This time, his forehead was heavily bandaged. He had slashed it open with a razor over and over and over again, seeking to erase his Guild mark. It looked like it was going to work.

Alvis had been the one to find him. She had run screaming for Dunya, for Claus, Mullin, _anybody_ to come quick, Dio was bleeding all over the bathroom floor. Dunya and her little sister Irena—who were in the house anyway, making enough dinner for ten people—had dragged him out of the bathroom, bandaged his head, and set to work getting the bloodstains out of the wood planking.

He was completely unconscious and very pale, but there was nothing more any of them could do. Lavie shut the door behind her as she left, and collapsed in Claus' arms.

"He was awake. I thought—we all thought he was starting to improve. And now this. Claus, this isn't _fair_. I mean, at first I thought he was kind of annoying, especially with the way he was always hanging all over you, but—but I never wanted to see him like this!"

She started to sob. Claus, at a loss for words, simply held her as she cried.

&

Luciola continued to size up his opponent. He knew he was strong—he hadn't spent four weeks under an intensive training regimen for nothing—but this man had some sort of grudge against him and was quite probably wealthy and powerful. Careful to keep his tone neutral, he responded, "I've never met you before. I'm sorry to tell you, sir, but I don't have a clue as to what you're talking about."

The man's face twisted in anger, and his hands balled up into fists. Luciola sank into a fighting stance. Before either of them could start fighting, however, a woman's voice rang out behind them. It was not Daphne.

"Paris, you idiot. If he was the guy you're looking for, I think he would have hit you by now. Come on, be reasonable. We have no reason to believe this is him."

It was the man's navigator. She was a tall woman, slightly older than him, with blonde hair and a finely-tailored flight suit. She offered her hand to Luciola, and he shook it. "I'm sorry if this lummox over here worried you. His name is Paris Priamides, and I'm his wife Helena." She turned to her husband with a scowl when she caught sight of Daphne shivering next to her vanship. "See what you did? You scared the poor girl, just because her pilot looked suspicious."

Paris spluttered. "Suspicious?! He looks just like the man who put Hector—your brother-in-law—in the hospital! How can you say that's not him?"

Helena ignored him. "Please, allow me to buy you a drink to make up for it."

A polite refusal was on the tip of Luciola's tongue. No matter how rich this couple was—he recognized the name "Priamides" as belonging to minor nobility—he didn't want to accept any favors from someone who had such a good reason to hate him. They would probably poison it, for one thing. Before he could open his mouth, though, Daphne jumped in.

"That would be wonderful! Thank you so much, ma'am! Oh, by the way, I'm Daphne and this is Luciola."

Luciola tried very hard not to groan.

Horizon Cave had been a very lucrative casino until the Silvana blew up a ship right in front of it, so the bar area was well-stocked and crowded. Helena left them at a corner table and went to order drinks. Paris grumbled something underneath his breath that sounded like a curse as Luciola sat down across from him.

Daphne looked around, wide-eyed. "Wow! I've never seen so many wealthy people. So many fancy clothes! And they have roulette! I've never played it, but it looks like fun. Do you gamble, Mr. Priamides?"

Grudgingly, as though it hurt him to acknowledge her, Paris nodded. "My wife and I come here every year, but this is our last time. You have heard about what's been happening to the rivers?"

"Yes, sir. The rivers have been drying up. Some parts of Anatoray—like Norkia, where I'm from—haven't seen rain in two months. Are you going to leave for the blue planet too?"

Paris' reply was cut short as Helena returned with their drinks—from the lack of any smell, Luciola knew it had to be First Water. Daphne chatted with the couple over drinks—Paris proved to be quite talkative and almost friendly towards her once he realized that he did not have to acknowledge her pilot in any way. Luciola scanned the area, allowing the conversation at his table to fade into background noise. Finally, he saw someone he recognized—an older man with an eye patch leaning against the far wall, observing the room.

_That man knew the Silvana's captain. What was his name again—Wheeler? No, Walker. I think he also runs this place. If anyone can tell me where the Silvana is, it's him_. He gulped down the rest of his water, heedless of Daphne's cry of shock, and made his way across the crowded room.

Walker looked down at him. "Can I help you with something, kid?"

Luciola pulled himself up to his full height. He had never liked being called 'kid', even when he was one. "I'm sorry to bother you, Captain Walker. I need to know where the Silvana is now."

Walker sighed and shook his head. "Ever since that ship started taking people to Exile, so many young men like yourself want to join it. I'm not going to stop you. They left two weeks ago for Troizen, to the southeast."

Luciola bowed and made his way back to his table. Paris was nursing his glass of water, and Daphne and Helena were deeply involved in a conversation about fashion—something about hats with feathers. He tapped his navi on the shoulder.

"Oriole feathers aren't good for hats, though. They—" She noticed Luciola had returned to their table. "Where'd you go?"

"The Silvana is en route to Troizen. If we hurry, we can catch it."

She rose from her seat reluctantly, casting one last glance around the room. "I really would have liked to stay a while longer, but my pilot has someone very important to find. Thank you again for the water, Mr. and Mrs. Priamides."

Luciola focused on getting Daphne out of the room as quickly as possible, so he missed seeing the look of pure hate Paris leveled at his retreating back.

&

On the fourth day since the incident with the razor blade, Dio started raving.

They had been taking turns watching him for any changes, and Claus was with him now. For a brief moment, he felt a surge of hope as Dio's eyes snapped open, but then he saw that they were blurry, unfocused. "Dio?"

He seemed not to hear him. "Luciola…?"

Claus laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down as he began to strain against the straps holding him to the bed. "Luciola's not here anymore, Dio. Remember?"

Dio convulsed and would have lashed out at Claus if not for the straps. "Then find him! He's in trouble; there's a big storm coming! He'll be swept away by the winds! Just like…just like me." He trailed off, glancing around in confusion before staring in Claus's general direction. Claus blinked back at him. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and no wind above a gentle breeze for weeks.

The other boy stared through him, but his eyes seemed to focus on Claus for a moment. "_You'll_ tell him, right? Tell him to fly above the clouds if he doesn't want to wind up like me."

Claus patted his shoulder awkwardly. "I'm sure he knows. So—so why don't you calm down, and we'll get you some food, okay?"

Dio shut his eyes and relaxed, sinking back on the bed. "Tell him…Luciola…fly above the clouds." Claus watched as he drifted off to sleep.

&

Daphne and Luciola were a day away from Troizen when the wind storm hit.

They had been flying low through the desert, cruising to conserve fuel. Luciola had never been to Troizen before, so he was forced to put his faith in Daphne's map-reading and marker-following skills. So far, they had an easy flight and were making good progress, so Luciola let his mind wander to the Silvana. _I wonder how Lescius is doing, and the mechanics. If…no, I can't think like that. Lord Dio __is__ on board. They will take good care of him._

There seemed to be a low-hanging cloud ahead of them. It was nothing to worry about, so Luciola relaxed. And then the wind picked up. That, and a few grains of sand in their faces, was all the warning either of them got before the wind slammed into them, spinning them sideways. From the pilot's seat, he heard Daphne scream.

For a few brief, dizzying seconds, he was conscious of nothing save for the howling of wind in his ears and the feeling that he was going to be thrown out of his seat. Then his hand found the throttle, and he fought against the wind, narrowly avoiding a crash. The winds were hot and dry and changed direction constantly, making it impossible to pick a safe direction. Even worse, they carried dust and sand, caking his eyes and ears.

Daphne screamed to be heard above the wind. "What do we do? You're the ace pilot, aren't you?" She dissolved into coughing and choking.

Luciola's mind whirled. _A sandstorm a sandstorm what to do in a sandstorm…_ He flashed back to one of his earliest flight lessons. The instructor had told them about this, hadn't he? _Fly above it._ He pulled back on the throttle, going into a steep ascent.

They were almost clear of the storm when something—a rock or tree branch swept up by the winds—slammed into the vanship. Luciola heard something snap.

As quickly as the storm had appeared, it moved on. Behind him, he heard Daphne coughing. She called out to him. "I think the gyroscope is broken! We'll have to stop in Medea for repairs!"

Medea was a large town on the edge of the desert, built around what had once been an oasis. Now it was a dried-out crater in the center of town. They limped there and skidded to a clumsy stop at the hangar to check the damage.

The gyroscope was cracked beyond even Luciola's skills to repair. He collapsed against the vanship, squeezing his eyes shut. _Why now? Why here, of all places? We're so close to Troizen…_

"Hey, kid."

He opened his eyes to see a burly man looming over him. He was smirking. "So, ran into a sandstorm, huh? Looks like you need a new gyroscope. Luckily fer you I just happen to have a spare—I was gonna sell it, but I guess you deserve a discount. Especially if you're the guy Count Paris told us about."

Luciola's eyes narrowed. "What?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Daphne turn very pale.

"Well…now, I ain't accusing you of anything, but…see, Paris Priamides rules this city and every other within five hundred miles. A few months ago, his brother got into a fight wi'one Curtos Atreides and his friend. The friend died, but it weren't no fault of anybody—slipped on th' cobblestones and cracked his head open. Anyway, Curtos got pissed—wouldn't you? He beat Hector near to death. Paris wanted revenge, but the boy disappeared." The man shrugged expansively. "Nothing to do 'cept wait for 'im to turn up. And turn up he did, I heard. The count's offerin' a thousand Claudia for his head. Strange…they say he looks a bit like you."

Daphne glared at him suspiciously. "What does that have to do with us? We're just travelers. Now are you going to sell us that gyroscope or not?"

As they worked to affix the gyroscope to the rotation compressor, Luciola was deep in thought. _So, the man whose body I have almost killed a noble, and now that man Paris wants my head on a stake. This adds a great deal of unnecessary complications to my search for Lord Dio. I only hope Troizen is not under his control…_

&

Dio was awake again. He was not quite lucid—he seemed to recognize Claus and Lavie, but nobody else. But, more importantly, he was both conscious and eating, slurping down chicken soup with gusto. Claus was able to convince him to hold still while Lavie took his bandages off.

She gasped in horror, and Claus winced at the sight. Dio's forehead was a maze of white scars, completely obliterating all traces of his Guild mark.

Dio reached up and ran his fingers across his forehead. "Is there something on my face? It feels bumpy."

Lavie opened her mouth to speak, but Claus shook his head and handed Dio a mirror. The former Guild boy stared at his face. Seemingly lost in thought, he ran his fingers over the spot where his Guild mark had been. Finally, he smiled and returned to his soup.

Nervously, the other two backed out of the room.

&

Troizen was a city in the middle of a plain, sprawled out over four miles of dried and dusty ground. The river that normally split it in half was now dried to a tiny trickle, and the heat was nearly unbearable. As Daphne and Luciola pulled into the hangar, no one came to greet them. As a matter of fact, the area seemed to be deserted.

Daphne glanced around cautiously and turned to her pilot. "Do you think everyone's just inside because of the heat?"

Luciola shrugged and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. _She may be right; it's certainly hot enough. But there's shade in here, so there should at least be a mechanic or another vanship team. _Then, suddenly, he realized why the hangar had looked so strange to him on first glance. "…Miss Daphne. There aren't any vanships here."

She blinked slowly. Then she asked, "How big, exactly, is the Silvana? Is there any way it could land somewhere else?"

"No. We would have seen it by now." He slumped against the side of the vanship. The Silvana had been there, he was sure of it. And now it was gone. They had failed.

From behind them, there came the sound of footsteps.


	4. Fourth Light

Luciola turned at the sound of footsteps behind him to see an old woman shuffling towards him. Her wrinkled face creased even more as she smiled. "Good evening, young man. If you and your young lady friend need a room for the night, you'll find plenty around here."

He was vaguely perturbed by her referring to Daphne as his "lady friend", but he ignored it. "What happened here?"

Her smile grew even wider, revealing several missing teeth. Daphne shuddered. The woman answered in her creaky voice, "Why, the Silvana came. They took everyone away…said something about the end of the world. But I stayed, I and my sisters. We will always stay. There were some others who refused to go…they all refused to believe the nice young boy who came and told them the world was spinning into the sun."

_A young boy? Could she possibly mean Lord Dio?_ "What did this boy look like?"

The old woman chuckled, a horrible raspy sound. "A young boy to me, but a man to you children. He wore a jumpsuit and a pilot's hat. He told us all to leave before the world ended, to go to Exile and the blue planet. But we are old, my sisters and I. So we stayed. You're welcome to join us for supper. We've been _so_ lonely with no new people around for us to…meet."

Daphne turned pale, backing further away from the old woman. Luciola felt a tremor of fear and took a step back to stand next to his navi. _So it was one of the mechanics, then. That proves that the Silvana was here, at least. _"Do you know where the Silvana went?"

She turned away from them, clearly trying to remember; Luciola motioned for Daphne to start up the vanship again. With a sly glance towards them, she replied. "I just can't remember the exact direction…I'm sure my memory would improve if I had something to eat. Are you quite sure you won't do me the favor of joining me for supper?" Luciola shook his head; she was eying him as though choosing a haunch of meat at the butchers'. Behind him, the vanship's engine roared to life.

She took a step closer to him, and another; he retreated in equal measure. "West. They went into the setting sun last week. But you know you'll never be able to catch them now. Why not stay for dinner?"

In a single smooth motion, Luciola turned and leapt into the pilot's seat, taking off.

They were well clear of Troizen before either of them spoke. Luciola asked, "What's the closest town?"

"Slow down a bit so I can check the map." He did; there was a great deal of rustling and cursing from behind him until Daphne replied. "Zeleia. It should be about two days to the west, over the Ida Mountains."

He turned to the west. As they flew, he shivered with anxiety. _Soon…only a few more days until I see you again, Lord Dio. Wait a little while, and we will be together again._

&

It had been a few days since Dio had awoken, and most of the house walked on eggshells around him. Indeed, Dunya's two little brothers and youngest sister flatly refused to be in the same room with him, while her sister Irena could only be persuaded to bring him meals. He wasn't violent or excitable, but he rarely spoke or showed emotion and spent most of his time staring out the window in his room, mumbling to himself.

This was how Alvis found him. He was sitting upright in bed, clad in some of Claus's cast-off clothes; they were heavily patched, worn and faded to a dull brown, but they fit. They had unwrapped his hair and left it loose; he was twining the longer section around his fingers. He did not see her come in.

"Umm…Dio?"

He ignored her, whispering something under his breath. She crept closer in order to hear him. His eyes were blank, unfocused, as he stared at the shifting clouds.

"Nothing…nothing and everything lies beyond the stars, in the darkness between the stars. Luciola…find me. Find me; look beyond the stars and to the blue planet."

She grabbed his wrist, causing him to turn and stare at her—or, rather, through her. She trembled, but stood firm. "Dio, it's me. Alvis Hamilton, remember? I made you cake…cake with pink icing and strawberries on top, and you liked it even though it looked weird."

He stared at her. There was a faint expression of bewilderment in his face. Alvis sniffled. "Y-you don't remember me? T-there was cake…and—and presents! And it was all for you, right before you left!" Frustrated and sobbing, she ran out of the room.

She missed seeing him smile.

"…Cake…"

&

Zeleia was a vast city built on a rocky mountainside, easily larger than Norkia. Even from a distance, Luciola could tell that the Silvana was nowhere near. He would have turned for the next city, but Daphne's voice stopped him. "We need more food and Claudia. Besides, even if the Silvana's not here, it might have passed by." And so they coasted to a stop in the hangar.

A group of young men around Daphne's age were loitering nearby as she and Luciola unpacked their bags; instead of help, they offered catcalls and wolf-whistles. Daphne gritted her teeth and ignored them. Luciola glanced at them, and they fell silent; as he walked past them, he couldn't help feeling surprised. _I've never been able to glare someone into silence before. Then again, I suppose this body is a bit more intimidating than my old one. _He ran his hand over his stubbly chin. _And I need a shave._

The area of town near the hangar was clearly wealthy; the buildings were freshly painted a blinding white and hung with brightly colored awnings. The day was blisteringly hot, so it was almost deserted. Almost, that is, except for an old man sitting in a chair, holding a poster. He looked up as they approached. Daphne asked, "Excuse me, sir. Has the Silvana passed through here?"

The man twitched violently when he saw them—or, rather, Luciola. "You!"

He blinked in surprise. "Pardon me, sir?"

The man clapped his hands together, and a the once-deserted square became lively. Young men, old women, even children younger than Luciola left their houses and gathered around the old man. Daphne pressed herself closer to him; the expressions on these people's faces were far from friendly.

"You killed my son! Hector is dead because of you! Seize him, my people!"

Two burly men grabbed Luciola by the shoulders; Daphne cried out. "W-wait, stop! Luciola's not the guy you're looking for!"

"We shall see. Take him to Andromache."

Luciola was led through the city, with Daphne following. Although the old man refused to speak to them, the woman nearest to them in the crowd gave in to Daphne's ceaseless questions, so they learned that he was Duke Priam Priamides, retired after a minor stroke, and that no, the Silvana hadn't been sighted.

The duke's villa was located high on the mountainside. As they walked through the city, the crowd fell away, until they arrived at the iron gates with only the old duke and Luciola's self-appointed guards. With a nod from Priam, the gates swung open and they proceeded into what Luciola supposed was a garden. It had very clearly seen better days.

The trees and grasses were either dying or dead. There was no sign of insect life, nor any life at all except for a woman dressed in black sitting under a dying olive tree. Her gaze hardened as it fell on Luciola.

Since arresting Luciola, Priam had been silent. Now he bowed and spoke. "Lady Andromache. Is this the scum of Prester that caused your husband's death?"

She regarded Luciola with a cool look. "…Come a little closer." His guards shoved him in her direction, and she studied him intently. Luciola met her eyes calmly, willing her to see the truth. _I am not Curtos Atreides, though I use his body. Please. Pay no attention to outward appearances._

"Hmmph. Who is this girl?" Evidently, she had noticed Daphne—which wasn't surprising, as the girl had given up trying to make herself unnoticeable behind the guards and was now gawking at the once-fine scenery. She held her head high.

"Daphne Korakos of Norkia, my lady. I am Luciola's navigator." She shuddered violently. "And he did not kill your husband. The man who did that is dead."

Andromache's eyes narrowed in fury. "Who are you to tell me that? I was there that day. My husband fought because one man—Curtos Atreides—insulted me. He lingered for months before dying of his injuries. And you contradict me as to whether or not his killer stands before me today?" She motioned to her father-in-law. "My lord, what do you suggest?"

Priam looked from her to Luciola and sighed heavily. "Although he is, according to Paris, the spitting image of the man who attacked Hector…it was Paris who described him as such. Let us keep them here until he and Helena return."

Daphne spoke up. Her voice trembled. "Wh-what are you going to do with us once Mr. and Mrs.--Excuse me, Count and Countess Priamides come back?"

Andromache fixed her with a cold stare. "Why, have you executed, of course."

&

It was night on the blue planet. The little house in the middle of the wheat fields was silent, as all its inhabitants were sleeping. All, that is, except Dio.

The house was several miles outside town and there was nothing worth stealing anyway—not to mention that none of the townspeople with half a brain would encroach on former crewmembers of the Silvana—so he was easily able to open the front door and head out into the night.

It was too warm for him inside, so he lay in the grass and stared up at the stars. Prester was visible as a glowing hourglass shape to the north.

_Luciola, Luciola, Luciola…you're out there somewhere beyond those stars. I know it—you have to be. You're not dead you're not dead it's not my fault. It can't be my fault._

A firefly buzzed around his head. It was soon joined by another and then another, until a swarm of flashing green lights illuminated his form.

He smiled. _Luciola…you always know just the right way to make me feel better._

&

The clicking stopped.

Luciola blinked and looked up from the history book he had been paging through. In a nearby chair, Daphne had been knitting something that he supposed could be called a sock—it was too early to tell for sure. Now she set it aside and looked at him curiously. "Hey, Luciola?"

"Hmm?"

She hesitated. "Ummm…this might be a bad question, but here goes. Aren't you worried about what might happen when you find the Silvana and your Dio again? You told me once that your new body barely looks anything like your old one, so how is anyone going to recognize you?"

Luciola sighed heavily. She was right. Cutting his hair had helped a little, but his face was just a little too angular and his eyes a shade too narrow to really look like he had before. But then again… "I was planning to join the Silvana as a passenger and offer to help out with the vanships. The mechanics didn't know me very well, but they were quite good to Lord Dio. If he is onboard, he will be in the hangar, and I believe he would recognize me no matter what form I take."

Daphne stood up and went to him, lightly touching his hair. He stiffened at the contact. Seemingly oblivious, she asked, "Don't you think bleaching your hair might help? You told me you were blond before."

He fought hard to keep the skepticism out of his voice. "Do you know how to bleach hair?"

She grinned hugely. "Of course! Now, where can we find some lemon juice?"

Luciola cast a cursory glance around the room. Since Priam's estate apparently lacked a dungeon, he had put them in the shabbiest guest room he could find. There was a bookshelf, a large and empty closet, two dressers, and an interesting mosaic on the floor, but no lemon juice. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.

&

Breakfast in Mullin and Dunya's house was always a slightly chaotic affair, what with four young children who all preferred different flavors of jam and toast in various degrees of burnt. Alvis and Irena took pride in the fact that they didn't need to be told to wipe jam off their chins, or eat the crusts on their toast, or any of the many other admonitions that Irena's brothers and sister seemed to need every few minutes.

As always, Lavie had to practically drag Claus out of bed in the morning, but he perked up once he saw the food. They were currently occupied in shoveling in as much of their breakfasts—toast, jam, and milk—as they could, until the sound of footsteps down the hall made them pause.

Silent and stumbling, Dio padded into the room on bare feet and sat down in the one vacant chair.

Everything was silent. Dunya's brother Nikos dropped his toast. Mullin, passing the grape jelly to Lavie, paused with it in midair. Alvis stared at Dio before jumping up from her seat and rushing to the toaster to rescue two slices of bread before they could burn too badly. She offered them to Dio with a shaking hand.

Slowly, he took them. And then he spoke. It was only a whisper, but all heard him clearly.

"…Thank you."


	5. Fifth Light

Luciola sighed and reached up to touch his hair. It felt stiff and spiky; while it had taken a lot of pleading with their guard to get them lemon juice and a great deal more for Luciola to consent to the actual bleach job, Daphne had been able to wear them both down, so his hair was now an interesting shade of dirty blond.

He had been anxious and worried at first, when Priam had imprisoned them. Over the past five days, such feelings had faded into a state of near-terminal boredom. He had read every book in the bookshelf, counted the tiles in the ceiling twice, and spent a particularly long afternoon watching Daphne knit herself a shawl.

His navi was currently filing her nails. She raised an eyebrow. "Like your hair?"

"Hmm."

She groaned. "You know, you could…I don't know…show some _emotion_ every once in a while. I'm fairly sure it won't kill you. Although our esteemed host might once his son and daughter-in-law get back."

Luciola was silent. According to their guard, a messenger pigeon had been sent to Colchis, where Paris was visiting a friend, and a reply had been received. Paris and Helena would return any day now, and he disliked the idea of his fate being placed in their hands. _Especially since I—or rather, Curtos—was the one who caused his brother's death. He will surely view this as an opportunity to get his revenge. Then again, Miss Daphne seemed to make a good impression on his wife, so she might intervene in our favor._ He rubbed his forehead; he could feel a headache coming on. _Why am I even worrying about this? There's nothing we can do except wait._

Their guard—a burly man some twenty years older than them—unlocked the door. He almost filled the doorway. "Count Paris is here. Come with me."

Daphne squeaked and leapt from her seat. "Now? _Now?_ I have to put my dress on and do my hair and…and…"

Luciola sighed. "Count Paris can wait a few minutes, can't he?"

Eventually, the guard led them down tiled and painted hallways and up a seemingly endless flight of stairs. Luciola kept his gaze on the man's back, but Daphne trembled and glanced around at the walls as they walked. Finally, after what seemed like ages, they passed through a vast set of double doors and into the throne room.

The vast throne silhouetted by the light streaming through the windows was empty; Priam sat in a hardwood chair by its foot, while Paris lounged carelessly on its arm. Andromache and Helena lounged on opposite sides of the throne; the latter gave Daphne an encouraging smile.

For a few moments, there was silence. No one dared move until Priam spoke. "Boy. State your full name."

Luciola straightened, pulling himself to his full height. His voice did not shake. "Luciola."

The old count raised an eyebrow. "Just Luciola? No family name?"

"Luciola…servant of the Guild."

Andromache sneered. "Claiming to be part of the Guild, are you? Did you think that would scare us? The Guild fell to pieces months ago, and their palace crashed into the ocean. Their members are dead or gone to the blue planet to build a new Prester; there are no Guild members here. And if there were, they would certainly arrive with more than a rusty old vanship and a country bumpkin navigator."

Luciola bowed. "I can be nothing other than what I am. I am Guildsman Luciola."

Paris burst out, "He's lying! That's him; he just bleached his hair! That is Curtos Atreides!"

"No, he's not!"

All eyes turned to look at Daphne. Her voice trembled, but she stood firm. "How many times do I have to tell you that Curtos Atreides is dead? If he stood before you here, I…I would _never_ defend him!" She started to sob openly. "So—so please! Please don't kill us! We've done nothing to you!"

Paris scoffed, and Priam snorted. Andromache, however, sniffled into a lace handkerchief."Stop that crying, girl. I hate seeing such displays of emotion."

Helena stood up and turned to her in-laws, glaring. "She's right, you know. I had my ex-husband's friend do some research on Atreides. Do you know what he found? Nothing current. As far as the law is concerned, Curtos Atreides died last month. Besides," she added in a different, slightly more impassioned tone, "Luciola and Miss Korakos are our guests. I have eaten and drunk with them, and it is against all laws of hospitality and common decency to kill someone you've shared a meal with."

Luciola rather thought this was pushing it a bit—a glass of water and half a dinner roll wasn't exactly "a meal". It was unusual, though; he wasn't aware that Anatoray's custom of hospitality was so similar to the Guild's. But Helena's words seemed to have their desired effect; her father-in-law suddenly refused to meet her gaze, and Andromache looked downright embarrassed.

Paris spluttered. "I…but…I was _there,_ right after it happened—my brother described him right before he lost consciousness! How can you call him a liar?"

Helena shook her head sadly. "Hector was half out of his mind. You can't condemn an innocent man to death based on his words—you know he wouldn't want that."

Paris sank back against the chair. "As much as I hate to admit it, you may be correct. My older brother always was a stickler for justice. Father, Lady Andromache, what do you suggest?"

Andromache spoke first. "My husband would want revenge for his death. However, I believe my sister-in-law is right. He would never want to condemn an innocent man to death, no matter what crime he is suspected of."

Priam sighed. "I can see I'm outvoted. Fine, boy. Take your vanship and leave; it's still where you left it. And if I ever see you in this city again, I may not be so lenient."

&

The sound of footsteps woke Dio up. Slowly and groggily, he heaved himself up out of bed and walked down the hall into the kitchen. Lavie and Alvis were making pancakes; they stared at him as he entered. Alvis made a little squeaking sound of fear.

"Dio? What are you doing up?"

Dio motioned to the bowl of batter Lavie was stirring. "Can I…help?"

She blinked slowly. "Errr…Dio, are you sure you want to help? It's kind of boring."

"…Yes."

Cautiously, she handed him the bowl and the spoon. Her hands shook slightly, but Dio didn't seem to notice. "Just stir this, okay? It has to be a little lumpy, and don't stir it too fast or it'll splatter."

"Okay." His voice was flat and devoid of emotion, but Lavie thought she saw something spark in his eyes for a moment and fade away.

Both girls watched him anxiously as he stirred. The flour, eggs and milk that had gone into the batter were far too expensive to waste. As the morning sun streamed through the window, it caught his scars and made them stand out as a dense web of silvery lines across his forehead.

Eventually, Alvis laid a hand on his wrist. "That's enough, Dio. We'll handle it from here. Go sit down." Even though he was speaking and eating with them again, he didn't seem to recognize anybody, and there was an unspoken agreement not to let him do anything dangerous.

Dio met her gaze. There was a strange expression in his eyes. "Thank you…Alvis."

He went outside and sat on the lawn. As soon as he was out of earshot, Alvis flung herself into Lavie's arms, crying. "He—he remembered! He said my name!"

Lavie sighed. Against all expectations, it actually looked like Dio was beginning to recover. She only hoped he didn't suddenly relapse. After what he had done to himself, it was a more than likely possibility.

&

They were heading southeast from Zeleia.

After a quick glance at the map and some hurried calculations, Daphne had decided that the city of Haliartos was their best bet for finding the Silvana. Fortunately, it was a downhill run to the vanship hangar and a matter of minutes for them to take off. This was good; Luciola was afraid a lynch mob was starting.

They stopped for the night in the tiny plains town of Aspledon, where the snack-stall owner sold them sandwiches and tea. Daphne took hers and sat down at a wobbly table, eating quickly. Luciola followed suit.

There was silence, as always. Luciola was deep in thought, and found himself uncharacteristically curious. _Curtos Atreides is dead. Miss Daphne called him 'nobody's friend', and told Duke Priam she would never defend him…but she cared enough to knit socks for him. What happened between them?_ It was on the tip of his tongue to ask, but he knew that do so would be unspeakably rude.

"I'm so glad you're nothing like him."

He blinked. "Hmm?"

Daphne sighed. "You're kind, patient, and even-tempered. Curtos was none of those things. He had absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever…I thought he did, once."

Luciola decided to ask anyway. He was nearly bursting with curiosity, and very highly doubted she would refuse to answer. "Did something happen between you two?"

She met his gaze. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"…Yes."

Daphne took a deep breath. "He moved into the apartment below me six months ago. He was alone, so I helped him move…and by 'help', I mean I helped carry most of the heavy stuff. We saw each other a lot around town...we spoke a lot. One time, we went to a street fair together—or actually, he went; I just followed. There was a man there taking commemorative pictures; it was some holiday or something. They were cheap, so…we took one together." She shivered slightly, turning away from Luciola. "He was kind of rude and short-tempered, not to mention pushy…but I kind of liked him, you know? So I told him that. It was…a bad idea."

She paused, seemingly waiting for him to say something. Luciola was silent for a moment, letting this new information sink in. There was one small detail bothering him, though. "If he was so cruel to you, why did you visit him in the hospital?"

She shrugged carelessly. "It's not like he had any other family or friends. Besides, the way he got there in the first place…" She trailed off and pointedly glanced at her watch. "Oh, would you look at the time! We'd better go find a place to sleep for the night."

Luciola blinked. _The circumstances surrounding Curtos' death…why is Miss Daphne being so evasive? It's not as though she had anything to do with it…did she?_

&

Dunya wiped at her forehead wearily. It was only mid-afternoon, and the chores were piling up. She had to clean the floors, start dinner, make sure her siblings made their beds and brushed their teeth, in addition to ensuring they did the reading she had prepared for them. Lavie, Irena and Alvis helped, but Claus spent most of his time working on his vanship or the house, Mullin was fundamentally useless at anything involving household chores, and Dio…she had enough doubts about his sanity not to ask him for help.

Luckily, most of her chores were done. Once she checked on her brothers and sister, she could finally sit down. They were supposed to be reading the classics today. In the kitchen doorway, she stopped dead.

Nikos, Aleksander, and Katya were indeed sitting around the kitchen table with their books, but Dio was with them; he was apparently reciting a passage from the book from memory. "_And so Menoitiades continued, 'I have o__ne more request, if you will grant it; let not my bones be laid apart from yours, Peleides, but with them; even as we were brought up together in your own home, when my father brought me to you as a child from Opoeis. Your father took me into his house, treated me kindly, and named me to be your squire; therefore let our bones lie in one urn.'_…Oh." He had noticed Dunya standing in the doorway.

She offered him a nervous smile. "What are you doing, Dio?"

"…I wanted to help…did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head and took a seat in the one unoccupied chair. Dio wasn't as crazy as she'd thought, after all. Maybe Alvis was right, and he really was getting better.

&

It took three more days to reach Haliartos. They passed slowly; Daphne made up for sharing information about her life by being unusually quiet, and Luciola was not about to start a trivial conversation just to hear her voice. As they flew, they passed towns that were deserted, decaying in the hot sun. There were no clouds to give shade. The rivers they followed had dried to trickles. Eventually, they took to flying at night—it was too hot to move during the day.

Finally, the city rose up through the early morning haze. Daphne let out a whoop of triumph. "That's Haliartos! We made it!"

Unlike all the other stops they'd made thus far, Haliartos' hangar was crowded and bustling. Once they landed and shoved their way out into the streets—Daphne clutching her bag for dear life the entire time—it was even more chaotic. Street vendors' stalls lined the blocks on both sides of the street as far as Luciola could see. All around them was an ever-changing cloud of babble; cries of "Plywood, two Claudia a board!" "Beef jerky, ten pounds for a Claudia!" and such abounded.

Daphne had to yell to be heard over the noise. "What's going on?"

Luciola shrugged.

A young woman doing her shopping nearby heard her. "You don't know? Wow, you must have just arrived, then. The Silvana's scheduled to stop here next week; you can't so much as spit around here without hitting someone trying to get to Exile."

Luciola felt a smile starting to spread across his face. Daphne beamed. "That's just what we wanted to hear! Miss, do you know if there are any hotel rooms still open anywhere?"

The woman frowned. "Hmm. Well, there's the Boar's Tusks, but that's a bit of a dive and it's full up anyway. The Imperial Arms has a waiting list a mile long...so does the Clearwater. I'm afraid the only other hotel in town is the Laurel Branch on 23rd Street—head north, you can't miss it."

"That's wonderful!" Daphne grabbed Luciola by the wrist, leading him in the direction the other woman indicated and chattering happily. "It's gotta be fate or something, don't you think? That the only hotel with any vacancies has my name? And you'll finally see your Dio again!"

Luciola nodded. _So close. I am so close…just as long as we can stay out of trouble for the next week, I'll be able to see Lord Dio again. Just one week…how hard can it be?_


	6. Sixth Light

Halfway to the Laurel Branch, Luciola realized that the woman had failed to give them a house number.

Two-thirds of the way to the Laurel Branch, he realized the hotel didn't need a house number; it took up the entire block and was clearly visible three streets away.

He and Daphne stopped in front of it. The metal gate surrounding the building, although thankfully open, was higher than Luciola's head, and the place itself was a five-story high brick behemoth. A man in a sharply pressed suit held the door open.

"…Are you sure this is the right place?"

Luciola nodded, and they went inside.

If the outside was imposing, the inside was beautiful. The doorway was framed with columns carved to look like robed women carrying water jugs on their heads. The wall was painted with murals of feasts and drinking parties, each scene edged with a pattern of branches. Underneath their feet was an intricate mosaic depicting the myth that Luciola supposed had given the hotel its name—a young woman who turned herself into a tree to escape the sun god's unwanted attentions. The front desk was staffed by a single receptionist, a middle-aged man wearing a white suit. He smiled when he saw them.

"Ah, more honored guests! My name is Eumaios; I'm the head clerk at this hotel. Please, come in, come in."

Daphne offered him a nervous smile. "Hi. We were told you still had some rooms available…?"

Eumaios checked the ledger in front of him. "Hmmm, let's see. Oh, yes—we do have one room available. Will you and your young man be staying until the Silvana comes?"

Luciola flinched as Daphne nodded. "Yes."

He shoved the ledger across the desk to her. "For six nights and seven days…sign here and here. That'll be 200 Claudia for room and board; you can pay when you check out."

Daphne blanched and dropped the pen mid-word. Luciola found himself wishing for a good place to sit down. _Two hundred Claudia? I took all the money Curtos had when I left…but that was nowhere near enough! And even if it was…_ He searched through his pockets and came up with twelve Claudia and a piece of string. A quick glance at Daphne's face as she signed confirmed that she couldn't make up the difference.

Luciola rarely cursed, and never out loud. In his mind, curse words were reserved for grievous injuries and great personal losses. Now, however, was a special case. _Shit._

Their room was simple, but elegant, with cream-colored walls and light blue upholstery. There was a balcony taking up one side, with glass doors leading out to it. There was what appeared to be a king-sized bed, so at least they'd have something remotely resembling private space. The bedsheets alone probably cost as much as a small house. Daphne paced the room, from doorway to bedside table and back again.

"What are we going to do? I don't have that kind of money. _You_ don't have that kind of money. How the hell are we going to come up with two hundred Claudia in a week...and what will they do to us if we don't?"

He didn't have an answer for her.

&

Claus groaned. Sometimes, he hated his life.

Apparently, Dio was improving, and so Dunya had deemed him trustworthy enough to fetch water from the stream behind the house. It would be boiled and used to do everyone's laundry for the week. Claus was supposed to check on him and make sure he did what he was supposed to do. It felt like he was back on the Silvana, only with, if possible, more work.

The stream was very narrow, but fast-flowing, and so clear that anyone looking into it could count the rocks at the bottom. Dio was sprawled flat on his back next to it, looking up at the clouds. Two full buckets of water sat next to him. He was humming, and Claus recognized it as the same song the mechanics had sung on his birthday.

"Hey, Dio. Dunya needs us to bring back that water now."

Dio sat up and stared at him. Claus had to force his eyes not to linger on his scars as he spoke. "…Dunya…?"

He reached out a hand to help Dio to his feet. "Yes, Dunya. You know her, don't you? She's the dark-haired woman, the one Mullin likes."

Dio slowly took his hand, hauling himself to his feet. He wore a slightly confused look on his face. "…Dunya? Mullin? ...I don't remember them."

Claus lifted one of the buckets, being careful not to slosh the contents around too much. Dio took the other. He was stiff and awkward, a far cry from his previous graceful movements. Watching him, a thought suddenly occurred to Claus. "Dio…do you remember me?"

The other boy's grin was nearly blinding. "Of course I remember you, silly…"

For a brief moment, hope flared in Claus' chest. Maybe this was it; maybe proof of Dio's recovery was coming. And then Dio finished his sentence, and the spark of hope sputtered and died.

"You're Immelmann."

Well, Claus thought as he lugged the water bucket back towards the house, it was a start.

&

Luciola sat down on a packing crate in the vanship hangar, wiping his face on his arm. By mutual agreement, he and Daphne had split up to find some way to make money. He had been wandering Haliartos for hours seeking employment, and on the way had come to a simple conclusion.

…_I really don't have any skills worth trading here. Not unless someone needs an assassin or a bodyguard for the week, anyway._

"Hey, boy. I heard from a guy on 13th street that you're looking for a job, and I need people to load up my cargo ship. You interested?"

He looked up. A man in a gray suit stood in front of him. He was dressed far too sharply to be a vanship pilot—a businessman or a lesser noble, perhaps. Luciola was careful to keep his tone as respectful as possible. "Of course, sir. How much are you willing to pay me?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Straightforward, aren't you? You'll be making 20 Claudia a day. Don't be thinking you'll be getting it for nothing, though. This is hard work; expect to be moving at least two hundred pounds of goods every hour—or more, depending on how fast you work. Still think you're up to it?"

Luciola nodded. _Twenty Claudia a day! Of course I'm up to it!_ The man clapped his hands. "Excellent. My name is Antinous; I will be your superior. And your name?"

"Luciola."

Antinous frowned. "…That's not a Guild name, is it? I hate them. Lousy swindlers; been trying to overcharge me for services since they came down. You'd better not be affiliated with them."

As he shook his head no, Luciola shivered. _The Guild…Andromache said that some remnants of the Guild had come down to Prester in order to leave for Exile, but I didn't think I'd see any here. If I am lucky, they won't recognize me. If I am luckier still, they won't see me at all._

&

Lavie jingled her money bag as she waited, listening to the sound of tiny pieces of Claudia knocking together. They were out of baking soda, sausages and milk, necessitating a trip into town to buy the needed items. It was only a few miles to the settlement, but she didn't want to walk alone. Mullin and Claus were working on the roof again, Dunya's younger siblings were all too young, and Dunya herself was waging a never-ending war against the dust and dirt that seemed to come out of nowhere. The only other person she could ask to accompany her was Dio, but she was afraid he was still too frail; his mental state might not be able to handle being around so many people.

"…Are you going somewhere?"

She jumped; Dio was standing right next to her, studying her intently. She mentally cursed Delphine for never teaching her brother the concept of personal space before offering him a nervous smile. "Yes. I need to do some shopping in the town…would you like to come with me?"

He beamed. "A town? There's a town? Sure, I'll go with you."

It wasn't much of a town, really. It could barely even be called a village. At present, it consisted of little more than a general store, a bar, a doctor's office, and a few houses. However, new buildings—a restaurant, a clothes store, and others—sprung up like mushrooms almost weekly. The din of ongoing construction made conversation difficult, and Lavie kept a tight hold on Dio's wrist.

The main street was dusty and crowded, and Dio kept turning around to see as much of it as he could. Annoyed, Lavie yanked on his wrist. "Try to keep up."

The general store's proprietor, an old man with shaggy eyebrows and a thick white beard, cast a curious glance at Dio before handing Lavie her groceries. Dio stared back at him for a brief moment, before the shiny packaging on a box of cookies caught his eye. "Ooooh, shiny. Can I—?"

Lavie sighed and cut him off. "No, you can't have any; we can't afford it." Dio had been hyper enough before; she shuddered to think what he might be like with the addition of sugar.

Their walk back to the house was silent. Halfway there, Dio stopped. Lavie squeezed his wrist. "Dio? Come on, we have to go home."

He stared at his feet. Slowly, he spoke. "…Thank you for taking me out today…Lavie, right? Lavie."

She smiled. "Yes, that's my name."

They headed back to their house together.

&

Luciola's job involved lifting fifty-pound bags of dry goods—flour, bolts of cloth, and sugar—and putting them in Antinous' cargo ship. It was hard work, but very boring. The men he worked with were friendly enough, but offered very little opportunities for conversation. Like him, they all planned on going to the Silvana.

He groaned and sat down on an upturned crate. He had been carrying bags back and forth for hours, and his shoulders hurt. _Time for a break. How many days has it been? Five? Six? Five, I think. Only two more days of this, then._

One of his co-workers took a seat on a bench nearby. "Hey, Luce." While the boy in question flinched—he hated that nickname—the man continued. "Check this out." He looked in the direction the man indicated and paled.

Antinous was having a heated conversation with two Guild members. Luciola had a moment of panic before realizing that none of the three had noticed him. He studied the newcomers intently. They were both men; tall, thin and dressed in blue and yellow robes. The one on the left was taking a drag on a cigarette; his face was blurred by the smoke cloud. _Blue and yellow…those were the colors of House Ocalea, I think. One of the lesser houses. _"What are Guild members doing here?"

The man next to him shrugged and dropped his voice. "Those two sold Boss Antinous the goods we just spent the day hauling. From what I hear, he hasn't paid them the full amount yet."

Luciola shivered. "…I hope he pays up, for his sake. The Guild can be…very determined when they want something that belongs to them."

The man chuckled. "Let's hope he pays 'em after he pays us! I don't care about his debts with th'Guild, so long's I get my money. Right, Luce?"

He nodded mutely. _Only two more days. With what Miss Daphne's been making waiting tables, and what I'll make the next two days, we'll be able to pay for our room at the Laurel Branch and board the Silvana. I'll be able to see Lord Dio, and I will never have to hear that stupid nickname again._

&

The sun was setting.

After dinner—during which he ate little and spoke even less—Dio went outside and flopped down on his back in the grass. The setting sun to the west painted the sky shades of red, violet, and orange. As he lay there, fireflies began to gather above his head.

_Luciola…that name I gave you is a type of firefly. A tiny bug that looks so ordinary at first glance…but when night falls they look like stars fallen to earth. The stars…you're one of them. You'll fall to earth like the firefly's light, won't you?_

It might have been his imagination, but Dio swore he saw the assembled mass of fireflies glow just a bit brighter.

_Yes, you will. You'll come to the blue planet just like the fireflies did._

&

The longest week of Luciola's life was finally over. With a groan of relief, he collapsed on the bed. His week's pay—one hundred and forty Claudia—was tied up neatly in a bag on the bedside table. Daphne's contribution of fifty Claudia lay next to it. _The Silvana is due sometime today. Once Miss Daphne comes back with her pay, we can check out of this place._

As if on cue, Daphne stormed into the room. Her eyes were red and puffy, and the evidence of tears showed on her face. "That _bastard_!"

He blinked, taken aback. "Miss Daphne?"

She flung herself down in the nearest chair. "The man who hired me as a waitress. Instead of giving me today's wages—money I _earned_, by the way—he kept it all for himself. And when I tried to argue with him, he kicked me out!" She made a little snarling noise of fury. "We needed that money to pay for room and board! Now what are we gonna do?"

A great cry rose up from outside; the Silvana was within sight. Daphne sprang up from her seat and began throwing her things into her bag. "We have to go! If we're not by the hangar when the Silvana comes, it'll take forever to get on board. But we can't pay for our rooms…"

He sighed. _She's right. We're ten Claudia short._ _This leaves us with two options. We can either plead with the hotel manager to lower the price a bit…or we can make a run for it._

Luciola checked the back window; it led to a fire escape in a dead-end alley. He cracked it open and motioned to Daphne. "Come on, let's go."

She grinned. "Yeah, good idea. The food wasn't that good, anyway."

They ran down the street together, elbowing people out of the way and occasionally using their bags as shields when someone else tried to do the same to them. The Silvana was coming, and now was not the time for civility.

As he sprinted to the hangar, one thought ran through Luciola's mind over and over. _Lord Dio…I'm coming. Just wait a little while longer._


	7. Seventh Light

The Silvana was crowded. Very crowded.

Every bed in every room was filled. Every room not strictly needed to run the ship had been converted into either a bedroom or a storage room. The newly made Captain Wina had made a point of addressing her passengers and crew over the loudspeakers, telling them in no uncertain terms that they were to cooperate. While those few people who owned a vanship had been allowed to take it with them, those were restricted to a tiny section of the garage; all other space was needed for the passengers. Luciola and Daphne shared a room with an old woman and her grown son.

It would be over three weeks to Exile. He made a point of being in his room as little as possible. On the second day of their journey—after unpacking and bickering over what should go where and making sure the old woman got one of the bottom bunks—he went down to the garage.

Unlike nearly every other space on the ship, it was possible to gain some privacy here. The crates, boxes, and barrels piled around the room turned it into a maze. For a few minutes, Luciola thought he was alone, until a thud and a series of curse words reached his ears. One of the mechanics—Godwin, he thought—limped into view. "Dammit, I think I broke my foot!"

Another voice came from above; a man Luciola vaguely recognized as Kostabi was sitting on a stack of crates, laughing. "You keep saying that like you've never had a duffel bag full of some geologist's rock collection fall on your foot before."

Godwin glared up at him. "I haven't. That was y..." He stopped and blinked, noticing Luciola standing nearby. "What are you doing here?"

Luciola took a small step backward. He was so nervous he almost felt queasy, but his voice was steady. _Please let this work._ "…You have a lot of vanships down here. I'm a mechanic myself, so I thought maybe I could help you with the maintenance work."

Godwin seemed to forget all about his aching foot. "Sorry; the Silvana's vanships can only be worked on by Silvana mechanics, and I don't think the other passengers would like you touching their vanships."

Kostabi slid down from the crate to get a better look at Luciola. "Hey, wait a sec. We need all the help we can get right now. What's your name, kid?"

Luciola thought quickly._ I can't give them my real name. I doubt they'll recognize it, but it's best to be on the safe side._ "Luce." _Well, it's close to the truth, anyway._

Godwin adopted a mock-friendly tone. "Well, 'Luce', if you're gonna be joining us as a mechanic, allow me to welcome you as one of the gang."

Luciola knew what was coming. He had heard about the so-called "welcome" Mullin had received as a sort of ritual hazing when he had arrived. Accordingly, as Godwin moved to grab Luciola's shoulder, the boy seized his wrist and twisted hard.

He kept his tone neutral, calm. "I don't think the captain would appreciate it if you beat up someone who is technically a passenger on her ship. Of course, if you're determined to 'welcome' me, as you say, then why don't we go ahead?"

He released the man's wrist. Godwin rubbed it and grinned sheepishly. "You're tough, kid. Welcome to our crew."

&

Dio yawned and sat down on a convenient bench. While a trip to town was always interesting, Lavie and Dunya had insisted on leaving him outside, telling him not to move while they went to check out the fabric store that had recently opened for business. He tilted his head back, staring at the clouds.

_Hey, that one on the left kind of looks like a bunny. Or—no, wait—maybe a turtle. _Something bright caught his eye, and he focused his gaze on the street again. What he saw made his blood run cold.

After Exile was activated and the Guild was destroyed, those Guild members that had supported Delphine had mostly vanished. A good portion of the rest, seeking to change humans' perceptions of them, had gone to the blue planet at the first opportunity. While none of them wore their Guild uniforms anymore, the adults still bore their marks, and most of them could easily be distinguished by their near-universal penchants for odd, flashy clothes.

Two young Guilders, a girl and a boy, walked arm-in-arm down the main street. The girl's vest was bright orange and embroidered with blue and silver thread; this was what had caught Dio's eye. They looked to be around the same age as him, but the girl was younger—her mark had not yet appeared. A younger boy trailed behind them, ignored. He noticed Dio and went up to him.

"Hey, mister, what's the matter?"

Dio twitched. The girl charged up to them both, her boyfriend trailing behind. "Evander, what did I tell you about talking to strangers—oh." In the middle of lecturing her brother—for they had to be related; they shared the same pale reddish hair and gray eyes—she had spared a glance at the young man on the bench. Now she stared. Dio trembled and did not meet her gaze. Finally, she spoke.

"Y-you're…I've seen pictures of you before. You're Principal Dio, aren't you? That woman's brother."

The boy by her side blinked, tilting his head for a better look. "Hey, Lysimache, I think you're right. He sure doesn't look like a noble, though."

Some part of Dio, the part that had been gibbering in fear and telling him to run away, relaxed. _Oh. These people don't mean me any harm. They're just curious._ "…I'm not."

Dunya came out of the store, carrying a bolt of white cloth. Lavie followed her. She saw Dio and frowned. "Dio, we have to go; come on."

He rose and left, leaving the Guilders standing there without sparing a single glance behind him. As he rejoined Lavie and Dunya, he smiled. _This is where I belong._

&

For ten days, Luciola worked with the mechanics and sought to gain their trust. As the "new guy", he was lower in the pecking order than even Ethan, so he was mostly relegated to fetching tools and doing simple repairs. After some initial friction, he and Godwin got along fairly well together, although they spoke only when necessary. Dio did not appear.

One day, he put his plan into motion.

They were on break; the men working in the kitchen had passed out sandwiches and soda. Luciola lounged against the wall, careful to portray an image of utter relaxation. During a lull in the conversation, he spoke. "I can't have been the only non-mechanic to work down here. Have there been others?"

One of the mechanics—_Gale_, Luciola thought, _the one who left the Guild as a child_—grinned. "Oh, yeah, there were others. You said you were from Norkia, so you might have known them. Claus Valca and Lavie Head were the children of Hamilcar Valca and George Head, the first people to attempt crossing the Grand Stream in a vanship. They—the kids, that is—were also the first people to settle on Exile."

Luciola took a bit of his sandwich before replying. "Wow, that's nice. Say, I was at Horizon Cave a few months ago, and I think I saw a boy in white Guild clothes get off this ship. What was that? I thought you were instrumental in destroying the Guild."

A silence descended on them, and he knew he had struck a nerve. Godwin sighed. "Yeah, about that…the Maestro's brother came here as a hostage willingly, trying to get away from his sister. Kind of weird, and hyper as a squirrel on a caffeine high, but a good kid. There was this guy with him—his friend or bodyguard or something. That guy could fight! They were good with vanships, you know. Poor kids."

"What do you mean?"

"It didn't work. We had a birthday party for 'im, just before him and Claus left to face Exile. While he was gone, the Guild attacked and took us all prisoner. When it was all over, his bodyguard was dead, and the kid…Dio was his name…his sister had done something to him. Claus and Lavie took him to Norkia, but he came back."

Hope flared to life in Luciola's chest, but his voice betrayed no emotion. "What happened to him, then?"

Ethan shivered. "He came here. We were in the Grand Stream at the time…he fell out of his vanship. We caught him, but he was in really bad shape. When he learned his friend was dead, the scream…sometimes I think it's still echoing around the ship."

The hope vanished. _Lord Dio…oh, Lord Dio. If I had only come here sooner, you could have been spared so much pain._ "That must have been rough. It must have taken him a long time to recover."

Their break was over. As he went back to work, Gale remarked, "I wouldn't know about that. Claus and Lavie took him with them to the blue planet when they left."

_No._ Luciola slid to the ground. _It's been…at least two months since I died. Two months…and he's been on the blue planet all this time?_ He swallowed past the lump in his throat. _We're going to Exile anyway. I just have to be patient. Just a little longer, and then I'll see him again._

&

They were going into town again. This time, it was to stock up on supplies—Dunya had decided to make chicken for dinner that night. As they made ready to leave, Dio couldn't quite stop himself from fidgeting. Eventually, Lavie noticed. "Dio, are you alright?"

He nodded and went back to playing with his hair. At his insistence, Lavie had snipped off the longer section, so that all of his hair except his bangs was the same length. _I'm fine. I'm fine. Those Guild kids…they were harmless. Completely harmless._

The young Guilders were not there when they reached town. The butcher's store was easily recognizable by the smell of blood and the flies buzzing around the door. Dio followed Lavie and Dunya inside without really paying attention to where he was going. Accordingly, when Dunya stopped suddenly, he walked into her back with a yelp.

She was staring at the butcher behind the counter—or, more accurately, at his Guild mark. Dio shivered and tried to make himself look as small as possible. The butcher didn't appear to notice and offered her a friendly smile. "What'll it be today, miss?"

Lavie nudged Dunya in the side and spoke. "A chicken—that fat one you've got on your left."

He grinned expansively. "As you wish, miss. Want me to take the head and feet off for you?"

Dunya found her voice again. "You don't have to. We have to walk back to our house, and I don't want to leave a trail of chicken blood behind me."

"Well, that's certainly sensible of you." The man's eyes strayed to Dio, who was shivering slightly. "Hey, my niece was right! You are the Maestro's family. Are you alright?"

He couldn't find words to speak. Lavie put a protective arm around his shoulders. "He's fine. We'll be going now."

"That'll be three Claudia—a discount for a fellow Guild member."

As they walked home, Dunya remarked, "That was strange. I never thought Guilders did jobs like that."

Dio's voice barely rose above a whisper. "The Guild…is self-sufficient. Not everyone can be a noble, and there are plenty of people with more mundane jobs."

"So, why were you so scared?" Lavie had not removed her arm from his shoulder, and he was glad of the contact. He smiled at her.

"They know me. Everyone who supported her is dead…those who came here have no reason to like me." Dio shivered. "Everyone…_everyone_ suffered under…under my sister." He began to sob quietly, choking back tears.

The rest of the walk home was silent.

&

When he had been with Dio on the Silvana, he had walked the path down to the engine room until it was ingrained in his muscles. Now, Luciola found that he had to keep one hand on the wall to be sure of which direction to move.

Lescius was sitting down, surveying a chess board sadly. He looked up as Luciola entered. "What can I do for you? Are you lost?"

For a single, horrible second, Luciola was about to tell him the truth—_It's me Luciola I have to know what happened to Lord Dio_—and then, just as quickly, he recovered. It was almost disturbing, how easy it was to lie—he'd never had much practice, after all. But then again, he had rehearsed this over and over in his head.

"No, I'm not lost. My roommate's writing a book about the fall of the Guild, but he's too sick to leave his room, so he sent me to gather information. I heard that you knew the Maestro's brother?"

Lescius sighed heavily. "Yes, I knew him, and I daresay I knew him well. That poor boy. He was so full of life; he wanted nothing more than to be rid of his sister's influence. But in the end, he couldn't escape."

"Others have told me that, yes. I need to know details. What—what happened to him afterwards?"

"…He went mad. For weeks, he had to be strapped to his bunk to prevent him hurting himself or others. He was incoherent and raving most of the time, crying out for his friend…What was his name? He rarely ever spoke, but it was obvious he was devoted to his master…"

Lescius studied him closely. He was standing, seemingly relaxed, but poised to move at any moment. Although they were green instead of his former blue, Luciola's eyes were as alert as ever. He did not meet the old man's gaze.

"Ah, yes…_Luciola_. That was his friend's name. Speaking of names, you have yet to give me yours, young man."

_He knows. He recognizes me._ Luciola had to fight to keep his voice calm. "Just call me Luce. I heard L—the Maestro's brother was taken to the blue planet to recuperate. Is that right?"

"Yes. Now, if you don't mind, may I give you some advice?"

He paled, but signaled for the old man to go ahead. If there was any doubt as to whether or not Lescius recognized him, what he said next dissolved it. "When you find him again…please be careful with him. He's been through a great deal, and I can't tell you how he'll react to you."

Luciola sagged against the door frame. Half under his breath, he murmured, "He was calling for me. He was calling out for me and I could do _nothing_. All I can do for my lord now…is to tell him I'm alive."

Lescius shook his head as though ridding himself of bad memories. "I know it's difficult, but we are heading to the blue planet. When you find Claus and Lavie, you will find him."

"…Thank you." Luciola left, beginning the long, slow trek back to his room. _Wait. Wait. That's the only thing I can do for now. Lord Dio, please wait for me too._


	8. Eighth Light

The sun streaming through the windows woke Dio up. Yawning, he shuffled out into the hall. None of the delicious food smells he was accustomed to—bread, jam, maple syrup—were in evidence, and a quick check of the kitchen proved it was empty. There was a clock mounted on the wall—one of the going-away presents Mullin had received from the Silvana. Dio glanced at it and did a double-take.

_Ten-fifty? I slept that late?_ The back door was open. He blinked in the light as he stepped outside.

Behind the house was a small fenced-in area, overgrown with crabgrass and other weeds. Dunya and Alvis were currently attempting, with the aid of heavy gloves and a pair of gardening shears, to remove the worst of the infestation. Alvis was the first to notice him standing there. "Good morning, Dio!"

He looked around curiously. His sleep-addled brain wasn't yet capable of coherent thought, but he managed to acknowledge her. "Morning, Alvis…What are you doing here?"

She beamed. This early in the morning, her good cheer was almost irritating. "We're making a vegetable garden! Well, actually we're just weeding right now, but once that's done we'll be able to plant potatoes and eggplants and all sorts of good things. Aleksander and Nikos will help, too, just as soon as they finish getting dressed."

Dio nodded. _That woman's brothers were scared of me at first. I think I made it better, though._ "…Can I help?"

Dunya looked from him down to the garden shears she held. On one hand, she wasn't sure he could be trusted with sharp objects. On the other hand…he had been improving recently. "Well, if you think you can use these shears carefully, then sure. Don't cut anything unless I tell you, okay?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes…Dunya?" He paused, obviously thinking hard. "It _is_ Dunya, right?"

The woman in question grinned. "Yeah, that's my name." Yes, she thought, Dio was definitely improving.

&

As the Silvana grew closer to Exile, a sense of anxiety and restlessness began to make itself felt among the passengers. Most of the walls conducted sound well, allowing Luciola and Daphne in their bunks to hear arguments spring up from several rooms away. The infirmary suddenly became crowded with minor casualties—a black eye here, a cut lip there. Even down in the garage, work was undertaken in sullen silence.

Luciola paced the narrow space in between the two sets of bunks in the room. The old woman and her son were visiting family on the floor below, so it was just him and Daphne in the room. She was knitting socks again, and the steady clicking of her needles was all that he heard.

She raised an eyebrow as he passed her again. "I don't know why you're so antsy today. Just another week and we'll be at Exile, and from there I heard it's only a month to the blue planet."

Luciola said nothing. He realized, to his surprise, that he was actually gritting his teeth. She didn't appear to notice and continued idly chattering on. "Your Dio will definitely recognize you when you see him again. If even that old guy Lescius could tell it was you, then someone who was so close to you shouldn't have a problem. Maybe you should stop pacing and go work on some of the vanships or something; it might calm you down a bit and give you something to do. All you have to do is be patient."

Something inside Luciola snapped. He stopped pacing and stood still, like a serpent poised to strike. "Don't tell me that. Everyone tells me to wait, to bide my time, to have patience. I am sick of _waiting_. Since I was brought back to life I've done nothing but wait. Wait until that—that _vanship_ of yours was fixed, wait to reach the next town, wait to get out of jail, wait for the Silvana to come…And then, when I finally arrive here after flying over half of Anatoray, I learn that my Lord Dio has been on the blue planet the entire time and that all I can do is _wait_ until we reach him." He took a shuddering breath; he felt as though he might explode at any minute. "So do not—_ever_—tell _me_ to be patient."

While he spoke, Daphne had grown paler and paler, shrinking back against the wall. She was unconsciously wringing her knitting between her hands as she stared at him; her eyes had gone wide with fright. "Luciola…?"

"What? Are you going to tell me to calm down? I am calm. I am _perfectly_ and _completely_ calm." His voice was indeed level, but he was trembling with barely-suppressed frustration. He wanted to strike, to lash out at something.

"No…Luciola, you're bleeding."

For the first time, he became aware of sharp pain in his hands; he had clenched his fists so tightly that his nails drew blood. He blinked and uncurled his fingers, watching his own blood drip down them. In an instant, his fury evaporated. _What? Oh…she's right._ He sat down heavily on the bunk across from her. "…He was calling for me. After everything Delphine did to him, he was crying out for me. And I failed him. He thinks I'm dead."

She sighed. "There's nothing you could have done. You didn't know where he was, and you couldn't have gotten to him if you did. You will see him again, and when you do…I have every hope that he'll know you out of a crowd of thousands even with Curtos' body."

He prayed that she was right.

&

Dio winced as he straightened up. He had been in the same crouching position for what felt like hours, hacking at a particularly stubborn weed. But through his efforts and those of the rest of the house, the garden was slowly taking shape. It was far too early to plant anything yet, of course. There were still a great deal of weeds and one very thorny shrub to deal with.

Dunya had taken one look at the plant in question and sent for Mullin to handle it with a machete. He and Claus were presently studying it and deciding how to go about getting rid of the thing. Dio had no wish to get his hands any dirtier than they already were, so he stood back and watched from a safe distance.

Mullin scratched his chin, thinking. "Maybe if we lopped off all the branches. That could help."

"We'd have to actually get close to the branches first. Those thorns are so long, it's like a fortress," Claus pointed out.

The older man leaned against the back wall of the house. "It's hot and I'm tired," he grumbled, voicing what they were all thinking. "Can't we just go inside?"

"If we did that, Dunya would chase us back out here once she saw this thing,"—Claus motioned to the bush—"still here. And we'd have to work on something else. And you just know that until we get this done, she'll be making burnt dinners on purpose and you'll be sleeping on the floor."

Bored, Dio wandered over to the object of their complaints, studying it closely. The bush—more like a small tree, really—was roughly half his height and covered all over with vicious-looking thorns. _It's just a plant. I don't see what all the fuss is about. _"Hmm. Hey, can I borrow your gloves for a bit?"

Mullin blinked. "Um, me?"

Dio hesitated. "Yes, ummm…Mullin! I heard people calling you that…that's your name, right? Mullin Shetland."

He blinked again slowly and handed over the gloves. "Yeah. You have an idea for getting this thing out of here?"

The younger man shrugged. "I'll hold the branches steady. You and Immelmann chop them off."

Several hours later, after a great deal of muttered cursing from Mullin and a few near accidents with the machete, the bush was reduced to a stump in the ground. Dio looked at it hopefully. "Are we done now? I smell Lavie making dinner."

Claus shook his head. "We still have to dig the stump out, or it'll grow back."

He was scratched, dirty, and in serious need of a bath, but as he bent down to help Claus dig, Dio realized he was smiling. _This is my home. These…these are my friends. Luciola, I wish you could see me now._

&

Luciola drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. Exile had been sighted a few hours ago; the general state of frantic activity had long since subsided. Everything was packed and ready; there was nothing else to do but wait.

Daphne had long since set aside her knitting. She was staring out the tiny porthole window, watching the clouds. "…I can't believe we're finally going to the blue planet. You know, I heard from the lady two doors down that Exile can only land there, and that it's so fast that it can travel millions of miles in a day."

"Hmm."

"What's the matter, Luce?"

He winced. "Please don't call me that."

She shrugged. "Why not? Oh, yeah, I forgot you don't like that name. Can I ask why? I mean, it's a nice nickname."

Luciola shivered. "My name is Luciola. It's the name Lord Dio gave me when we met, and it's the name I've used for almost ten years. My life before him was…not important. He gave me my name and my purpose, and I don't want to change that."

She grinned. "Okay, no nicknames, then. Not unless Dio says so."

He sighed and shook his head. "Please…don't."

"Oh, _fine_."

There was silence. Something had been bothering Luciola about his traveling companion for the past few days, ever since he had snapped at her. Finally, he decided to just ask. "Miss Daphne, why did you accompany me all this way? You told me you wanted to travel, but you could just as easily have gone your own way at Haliartos once I was on the Silvana."

She sighed and continued to stare out the window. Finally, she spoke. "When I began traveling with you, I wanted to see the world; to gamble at Horizon Cave, eat meals in fancy restaurants, and go places where nobody knew my name. I'm twenty-one years old and I'd never been out of the city before. So now…now I've seen the world, and there's nothing left. Once I get to the blue planet, I'll have a new world to explore, one where everything's not dying."

He was silent, thinking. _That's the only reason, then? She only came all this way to see new things… Why does that bother me a little? _

Suddenly, she turned to face him. She was smiling. "Plus, your Dio is on the blue planet, isn't he? I got you all this way; I'd feel terrible if I wasn't there to see you two get reunited. I'm kind of a sucker for happy endings. Besides, if it wasn't for me you wouldn't be here…"

_There's something wrong with that last sentence._ Luciola was careful not to let his doubt show. "Thank you for being my navigator."

She twitched. "…You're welcome."

His eyes narrowed. _What is she hiding? She was acting like this when I asked her about Curtos, too._ "Miss Daphne…you never told me how Curtos died."

Luciola had never seen anyone try so hard to look innocent and fail, not even when Dio had knocked over an ornate and priceless vase in the Guild palace. Daphne was red-faced and fidgety, refusing to meet his eyes. "Right after I told him I liked him. He stormed out my room and down the stairs to his—and he fell. It wasn't anybody's fault; only, he didn't look where he was going, and the stairs had just been washed, so… I _tried_ to catch him! I tried to grab his arm as he fell…and I missed. There was so much blood…" She trailed off, shaking. "And, you know, he was kind of a jerk, but he was my neighbor and he didn't have anyone else to visit him in the hospital." A tiny smile appeared on her face. "Imagine my surprise when I find _you_ instead."

He didn't quite know what to say. They sat in silence for a few minutes, until the loudspeaker crackled to life and the captain's voice came on.

"Attention, passengers. We will be boarding Exile shortly. Please gather your belongings and proceed to the top level. Crew, stand by for boarding."

Daphne leapt from her seat, beaming. "Exile! We're so close!"

She grabbed his wrist with one hand and swung her bag onto her shoulder. He snatched up his own duffel bag, and they joined the crush of people moving towards the top deck like one single organism. He was squeezed from all sides by the crowd and relentlessly poked and prodded by other people's bags as they all climbed up the stairs to the top.

_To Exile_, he thought. _To a new life, to freedom from the Guild…to you, Lord Dio. I am coming to you._

&

Dio sighed and flopped himself down on his bed. The day had been long.

_On the plus side, at least the garden doesn't have any weeds in it anymore. The garden…there won't be any flowers in it. Nothing to remind me of her…of Delphine. I wonder what vegetables would grow well here? _

The window was open, letting a warm breeze in. For now, it was still summer. A firefly came in with the breeze, flying in dizzy circles above Dio's head. He giggled and held out a hand. It landed on his finger, allowing him to stare at it.

_Another firefly…Luciola, are you trying to tell me something? You don't need to tell me that you're always with me; I know that already. And I know I'll see you again._

The firefly took off, flying around his head one last time before heading out the window. He watched it go, smiling.


	9. Ninth Light

Luciola, along with possibly half the population of Anatoray, stood on the top deck of the Silvana and watched Exile come closer until it dwarfed the ship. Next to him, Daphne shifted nervously.

He had seen it before, but not this close, so he was one of those who gasped when a port in the side opened, and a ramp extended down to them. There was no direct signal, but suddenly everyone was moving. Luciola was nearly knocked into Tatiana and Alister, who had evidently decided to join the group heading to the blue planet.

_I can't say I blame them. On the blue planet, they'll have new skies to explore._

From the outside, Exile presented a smooth, almost organic appearance. It was only once he was inside that Luciola was able to see how complex it really was. A honeycomb of passages extended as far as the eye could see, divided into uniform rectangular blocks. There were doors every few feet; he suspected that they were on one of the passenger levels. Except for the passengers, there was no sign of life; no crew, no movement anywhere. They stood there like cattle before a woman on Daphne's right had the idea of trying the nearest door. It opened.

Like cattle, they stampeded to claim a room. When the chaos had died down somewhat, Luciola and Daphne took one near the end of the block, room 503.

The door slid open soundlessly as they approached. Daphne frowned and pulled her shawl out of her bag, using it to wipe dust off her seat. "It smells weird in here, don't you think?"

Luciola was focused on the room. It was bare and simple, with two beds, a table, and chairs, all of which were bolted to the floor, as was the couch Daphne was sitting on. The floor was steel, as were the bed frames. A closet door stood open in one corner. It reminded him of nothing so much as a low-tech version of a Guild ship, save for the smell of musty fabric.

Slowly, he took a seat next to Daphne, who grinned at him. "We're here! Aren't you happy?"

He sighed and sank into the couch. _Happy…? Well, it's true that I'm closer than ever to seeing Lord Dio again. I just wish I knew how long the trip is going to take._

&

The garden was ready for planting.

Their next-door neighbors had donated the seeds, bulbs and cuttings in exchange for some of the crops when they were ready. Lavie and Dunya had laid out a rough plan of how they wanted it to look and deputized the rest of the house to make it happen.

Dio had been given the job of planting carrots. It was tedious work, and he allowed his mind to wander. _It looks like rain. That'll be good for the plants, but I hope it doesn't rain too hard and wash them away. Maybe we could plant asparagus next, or green beans. What did Mullin call those pod things? Oh, sugar snap peas. I hope those turn out good; they sound tasty._

He bumped into Irena, who glared at him and nudged him in the shoulder in return. "Watch where you're going, Dio! You almost made me spill the potatoes."

He grinned. "Sorry!"

At the other end of the garden closer to the house, Claus was planting peas. He called out, "You'd be really sorry if you made her spill those. You know how Dunya can't cook without them!"

Irena snorted. "Oh, yeah? What about Anatoray cooking? Can you even make anything without onions?"

Claus paused and pretended to think. "Well, there are a few things that you don't need onions for. On the other hand, Lavie definitely can't make a decent meal without garlic."

Dio grinned and focused his gaze at a point just over Claus' shoulder. "Hi, Lavie!"

Claus yelped and spun around to see nothing behind him. Irena and Dio giggled. He glared at the former Guild boy. "That wasn't funny, Dio."

He couldn't keep a smile off his face. "Yes it was. Come on, Immelmann; if someone had pulled that prank on me, you'd be laughing yourself silly right now. Besides, Lavie would never believe you'd be stupid enough to insult her cooking…on the other hand, knowing you, it's not too far-fetched."

Irena sighed. "Try to focus, you two. We still have a lot to do."

Dio sighed and turned back to his job. His knees hurt from kneeling on the ground, but at least he was almost done with the row. Maybe next time he'd offer to help Alvis with lunch instead.

&

Luciola and Daphne had agreed to split up to explore the ship, so he left her in their room and struck out down the hall alone.

Most people were in their rooms, but he heard sounds of arguments, laughter, and conversation from behind more than a few doors. He walked on. Somewhere in the distance, he heard music and singing, and he found himself wandering in the direction the sounds were coming from.

Eventually, after navigating a series of turns, including once nearly walking around in a circle, Luciola arrived at the source of the music.

It was a party. A group of people—mostly Guilders, but a few humans as well—had moved folding chairs into the hall and set up tables. Nearly all had marks; no surprise, given the amount of alcohol displayed. In the center, a rather flustered Guild girl was accepting a glass of wine from an older man who seemed to be a relative.

Luciola found himself staring. _It must be her seventeenth birth week. Lots of food, a first drink of alcohol, and a gathering of all their family and friends, as well as anyone who happens to be passing by…that's how lower-class Guilders enter adulthood. No Rite of the Covenant, no Trial of Agoon; this is the way it's supposed to be. _

The girl noticed him staring. Embarrassed, he turned to go, but she grabbed his wrist. "A new guest! Sit down, please. Everyone's welcome here."

He blinked at her in confusion as she pushed him into a chair. She grinned cheerfully. "You must be puzzled, huh? My name's Nesaia Daulis and this is the end of my seventeenth birth week. It's a custom among the Guild that anybody who attends a party can't leave until they have something to eat and drink—one of the laws of hospitality. Since you're here, you fall under that law." She barked over her shoulder, "Agacles, bring this guy a platter of whatever it is you're carrying and some booze to go with."

The man Agacles soon came over carrying a heaping plate of appetizers and a tiny glass of something red. He handed both to Luciola and sank into a nearby chair. "So, you new here?"

Luciola, focused on his food, nodded. It seemed to consist mostly of olives, cold cuts, an assortment of vegetables, cheese wedges, and a cup of unidentifiable dip. _The wine's probably safer. Then again, my last drink was on my own seventeenth. That was…over a year ago, I think._ He smiled, a barely perceptible twitch of the lips. _Lord Dio poured it for me. _

Agacles raised an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

Luciola shook his head.

"Well, have some wine then. My dear cousin's been using me to lug that stuff around all day, so the least you could do is try it."

He took a sip. It was sweet and warmed his throat as he swallowed, so he took a gulp. _This isn't bad._ Tentatively, he tried some of the cold cuts. They were salty, but good.

Agacles grinned. "You like it? Well, then, stick around. There'll be loads more where that came from."

Luciola thought for a moment. _Well, I don't have anywhere else to go, and I am hungry, so..._ "Alright."

The next several hours passed by in a blur of sound and movement—shrieks of laughter, crass jokes, music, dancing, food and drinks. A lot of drinks, actually; the food was all rather salty, so Luciola found himself taking bigger and bigger gulps of wine. His glass was refilled almost as soon as he emptied it, and he emptied it frequently. It was only when he found himself cracking a smile at a particularly crude joke that he realized something was wrong.

…_I believe I'm intoxicated. Wonderful. _

To test this theory, he tried to stand up; he hadn't moved from his seat since arriving at the party. His legs trembled, but they held, so he took a step. He managed two before stumbling against the wall. Clearly, the safest thing to do was sit back down.

Had he ever been drunk before? He couldn't remember, although the last hour or so of his seventeenth birthday had been a bit blurry.

Agacles snorted. "Lightweight. You're drunk already and the party's only just begun."

His voice seemed to come from far away. "I'm not…drunk. Yet. I think…"

Agacles offered him a hand, chuckling. "I bet you can't even walk a straight line. What room are you in? I'll help you back."

Luciola rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. _My room number…I can't remember. Why is this so hard? It's only three numbers… _"500? 502? No…503."

"503? Wow, you're far away. This is 592. Here, follow me."

They stumbled through the halls, Agacles pulling Luciola by the arm to keep him from falling over his own feet. Luciola's mind was hazy enough that he just barely registered when they stopped, and he collapsed into his own bed.

&

After the sun set, Dio wandered into the garden, careful not to disturb the newly-planted beds. In addition to potatoes, carrots, peas, and enough garlic to last several months, they had also planted a border of forsythia bushes. Although the shrubs were no longer flowering, they still lent color to the garden.

The moon was rising; a waxing crescent hung golden above the horizon. Dio sighed and sat down on the ground, watching it until a flash of light caught his attention.

The forsythia bushes had attracted fireflies. As he watched, they swarmed around the garden. One buzzed around his head, and was soon followed by others. Dio giggled.

_They must like the garden. I wonder why? Maybe it's mating season or something, or there's food for them. What do fireflies eat, anyway? I heard a bookstore opened up in town recently; maybe I'll go there and see if they have any books on bugs._

More fireflies came, until he was surrounded by flashing green lights. They lit up erratically, so that he was never left in darkness. He held his breath for fear of disturbing them. In return, they flew nearer and nearer, some even landing on his skin.

_Luciola, you're trying to tell me something, right? You're here with me…I know that. And you're coming closer. Please hurry._

&

Before anything else, before he even opened his eyes, Luciola was aware of a splitting headache, a foul taste in his mouth, and a feeling of nausea. Someone's cool hand was resting on his forehead. Slowly—_very_ slowly—he cracked open one eye.

The overhead light was, thankfully, off. He didn't think he could handle light right now. Daphne was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking concerned. She pulled her hand back nervously as he blinked at her, and poured him a glass of water.

"Here, drink." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it sounded painfully loud to his ears.

He sat up, ignoring the pain as his body protested against any movement, and took a sip. It was cool and delicious. His voice was restored as he drank. "What…?"

She shook her head sadly. "Some Guild guy brought you back here at half past midnight, drunk. You collapsed into bed before I could ask you what happened, but the guy told me you'd gone to his cousin's birthday party and had a bit too much to drink. He asked me if I'd like to attend."

He blinked again. _She's still here…_ His thoughts were scattered and disjointed, but he managed to ask, "Why didn't you go?"

Daphne sighed and watched him drink his water. "Your head is killing you, huh?"

He nodded, then immediately winced. _Bad idea._ She left the bed and went to a first aid kit on her own bed, returning with two pills. "Here, take these. One's for nausea, the other's for your head. You must have a monster hangover—that guy told me you drank almost a whole bottle of wine."

He swallowed them and lay down. It might have been his imagination, but he thought he felt his churning stomach begin to subside. His headache didn't go away, though, and so he closed his eyes.

"Is it a little better now?"

Nodding was painful. He made an affirmative-sounding noise instead and hoped she would get the hint.

She smiled. "That's good. I think as long as you don't make any sudden moves and stay away from bright lights and loud noises, you'll be fine. You might be a little dizzy for a few hours, though."

He found his voice again, slightly less raspy this time. "Why…are you being so helpful all of a sudden?"

Her smile turned into a grin. "You know, when we first met, I asked myself that question too. But as we traveled together…we had to share dingy cots in hick towns in the middle of nowhere, we ran out of food and money, our gyroscope broke, and that rich jerk Priam threw us in jail. Heck, you let me bleach your hair! Which we have to do again, by the way, since there's no blond left in it. Anyway, I realized when the Silvana came that I couldn't leave you behind…because you're my friend, Luciola. So that's why I'm helping you now, and that's why I'm going to the blue planet with you."

Luciola opened his eyes to stare at her. _A friend…? Her? I haven't exactly been nice to her, have I?_

She patted his shoulder. "Stay here. The kitchens are on level one; I'm gonna go down and get you some food. You'll feel better after you eat."

He watched her leave. His head hurt too much to sleep, but he closed his eyes anyway against the morning light.


	10. Tenth Light

Next to the house, there was a shed which Claus and Lavie had built to house their vanship. It was cramped and tended to leak when it rained, but it served its purpose. They usually left the door unlocked; nobody would be stupid enough to steal something so distinctive. Nor would they get too far if they did.

Claus and Lavie were going to work on their vanship again. The roll linkage had been slightly stiff lately. As he pushed open the door, Claus caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed it; it was probably just a bird. Then he stepped into the shed and blinked in surprise. Next to him, Lavie's eyes widened.

Dio was standing next to their vanship, running his fingers over the side with an expression of intense concentration on his face. He looked up as they entered, his eyes wide and innocent. "Good morning, Immelmann!"

Claus tried to speak, but no sound came out. Finally, he managed to articulate a question. "Dio…what are you doing here?"

For a brief moment, Dio appeared confused by the question. Slowly, he replied, "I like vanships. And I…I just remembered what it was like to fly. And I heard you saying the other day that you had to do some cleaning and repair work, so can I help?"

"It's a good thing you reminded me; I think I left my…best wrench…in my tool kit in my room. Come on, Claus, help me look for it." Lavie grabbed Claus' arm and steered him outside, out of earshot of Dio.

Her forehead was creased with worry. "Claus, what do you think? Is it safe to let him work on our vanship?"

Claus frowned. "I think he knows what he's doing, Lavie. His mind wasn't so badly affected that he'd lose basic skills like that. And he was…_is_…a good pilot and navi."

Lavie shook her head. "That's not what I'm worried about. Do you—do you remember when the Silvana caught him? When he fell? I'm scared that if he starts flying again, he could relapse. If he goes back to what he was like a few months ago, we might not be able to get him to recover again." She shuddered.

Claus was silent, thinking. Lavie was right. If Dio relapsed somehow, he might never recover, and all the progress he had made over the past few months would be for nothing. On the other hand… "I believe in Dio. If he wants to help with the vanship, we should let him. Who knows, it might help him recover faster. You remember how important flying was to him, right?"

Lavie smiled sadly. "Yeah. He loved vanships more than almost anything else. He's come a long way, but you're right—the best way to speed his recovery would be to let him fly."

They walked into the shed together. Dio was sitting in front of the pilot's seat, drumming his fingers on the hull. He grinned at them and held up a wrench. "Is this what you were looking for, Lavie?"

She grinned back. "Yep. You wanna help us with our vanship?"

In response, Dio did a backflip off the hull, landing on his feet directly in front of her. Smirking slightly, he bowed. "My pleasure."

Claus edged around him to the vanship. "Okay then. See, we've been having some problems with the roll adjustment lately…"

&

While his nausea had thankfully subsided after some bread and a few glasses of water, Luciola's headache had faded only slightly. Accordingly, he had decided to take a walk to the lower levels by the simple navigational method of descending the first steps he found. Maybe it would help clear his head. Besides, Daphne had told him the kitchens were down there, and he might be able to find better food. Exile's lack of staff or crew made it so that everyone had to cook for themselves and Daphne, while a passable cook, had a tendency to undercook nearly everything. _And_, he thought as he walked down a seemingly endless flight of stairs, _she's never learned that some things just taste better when they're covered in pepper._

The door to the second level was open, and an artificial breeze carried a faint whiff of plant life. Luciola frowned. _A garden? Here?_

He walked through the door and was nearly blinded by the light. For a brief moment, he was frozen in place as his mind flashed back to Delphine's garden. And then, slowly, his eyes adjusted to the light. Instead of the heavy, cloying aroma of roses, he caught the spicy smells of herbs and relaxed.

He could see to the other end of the room, but just barely. Terraced rows of pots lined the walls and stretched in neat parallel rows to the other end. There were fruit trees interspersed with the herbs; despite the season, every one of them was bearing fruit. Someone in the back was humming, so Luciola decided to investigate. As he walked down the rows, he found himself idly cataloguing the uses of various plants he passed.

_Almonds for amygdalin and cyanide, cherry and peach pits for glycosides, tomato greens for solanine, castor oil plants for ricin, rhubarb for oxalic acids…water hemlock—oh no, this is just carrot. The next row over is basil and oregano, I think._

The humming stopped as its source appeared from behind a bush two rows over. A young man, his Guild mark partially obscured by his shaggy brown hair, caught sight of Luciola and made his way over to him. "Well, hello there. What do you think of my garden?"

Luciola blinked. "_Your_ garden?"

The man studied him closely, grinning. Up close, Luciola could see that he was roughly around the same age as him, tall and thin. "Yep, my garden. I used Guild technology to get everything to grow faster; there's no time to waste. Wow, you must be new around here. Are you from Disith? What's your name? I'm Lucius Columella, by the way."

_I haven't heard a flood of questions like that since…since Lord Dio was with me. Even Daphne is more restrained._ "Luciola, from Anatoray. I just boarded Exile yesterday."

Lucius promptly slung an arm around his shoulders. "New guy! Hey, in that case, let me show you around. Would you like an apple?"

Luciola shrugged his arm off. He had never been fond of physical contact, unless of course it came from Dio. _Now I know how Claus felt._ "Sorry. My roommate will be wondering where I am around now, and I wouldn't want her to panic."

The other man shrugged. "Fine. Would you like to maybe eat lunch with me later or something? I make a pretty good chicken sandwich."

He blinked again. _He sounds as though he's asking me out. Why does he sound as though he's asking me out?_ "Umm, I'm sorry, but I really do have to go."

He left quickly and did not look back.

&

Dio knew that he was grinning like an idiot, but he couldn't seem to stop. His fingers were covered in engine grease, there was an interesting stain on his shirt, and wiping his hair out of his eyes had left a smear of grime across his forehead; yet he was ridiculously happy. Finally, he had an opportunity to fly a vanship again.

Lavie tapped him on the shoulder. "Dio, if you keep smiling your face'll stick like that. And could you hand me that hammer?"

_Correction: I will have an opportunity to fly a vanship again once this one is fixed._ "Sure." He bent down and handed her the one by his foot. "This one?"

"Yeah."

"I could fix that dent in the maintenance hatch for you, you know."

Lavie flinched slightly. "You don't have to do that. I can handle it."

On the other side of the vanship, hidden from view, Claus was working on something Dio supposed was the roll linkage. Or the throttle. Whatever it was, it was making a lot of noise and involved a great deal of banging. Curious, he vaulted himself over the side of the vanship and crouched on top of it, peering down at Claus. "So what are _you_ doing, Immelmann?"

Claus jumped and turned to look up at him. "Don't do that. I'm working on the roll linkage."

He blinked. "Ah." He realized, not for the first time, that he was slightly out of his depth. While he could fly Claus' vanship well enough, it was so primitive compared to those used by the Guild that he was at a loss to help him fix it. "Er, can I help?"

Claus shook his head. "Nah, I've got this taken care of. There's not really enough room for anyone else to work over here anyway."

Dio pouted. _Lavie and Immelmann…they said I could help them with their vanship, but they don't need my help. They just wanted me not to feel useless. _"I'm going down to the river to wash this gunk off."

Abruptly, he stood up—the roof of the shed was high enough to allow it—and jumped down to the ground like a cat. Lavie and Claus watched him go and exchanged worried glances.

The river water was cold and clear. Briskly, Dio splashed his face and set to work scrubbing grease out from under his nails. When his hands were satisfyingly clean, he flopped on his back and stared at the clouds, thinking.

_I wish Luciola was here. He was better than I am when it came to fixing vanships. No…he is better than I am. I want to fly again…but with him, not with anyone else. They all think I'm too fragile to handle it._

Footsteps behind him made him twist around to see Claus standing there. "What do you want?"

Claus took a step closer. "We're done with maintenance. Do you—do you want to fly with me? As my navi?"

Dio stared at him. _Immelmann's navi? The last time…the last time I flew with him, we…_ "No. Just go fly with Lavie."

"But Dio—"

He shivered. "I don't want to fly. Not with you, not yet."

Claus sighed and headed back to the shed. Dio's statement was worrying, but if he didn't want to fly then there was nothing he could do. He only hoped it didn't signify a relapse.

&

Luciola arrived back at his room to find Daphne chatting happily with, of all people, Alister Agrew. His navi beamed at him as he approached. "Luce, how's your headache? Better, I hope. This is Alister; she was a pilot on the Silvana; I think you might have met her. Alis, this is my friend Luce."

He looked from one woman to the other. _Well, I shouldn't be surprised that Daphne made a friend so quickly…but Miss Alister? Now that I think about it, it's not so strange that they might have something in common. _"Nice to meet you, Miss Agrew."

Alister smiled. "It's nice to meet you too. Please, call me Alis."

Daphne continued. "There's kind of a street fair set up on the fourth level. That's where we met; I recognized her from the Silvana—you know how you see people around sometimes and say hi—and so I asked her opinion on this new vest." For the first time, Luciola registered that she was indeed wearing a vest, black with dark gray trim. "I got a skirt to go with it, but it needs to be taken in and I need more thread. You wanna come with me? I saw some clothes that might fit you."

He was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he had been alternating between the same four shirts for over a month, and that none of them were very clean. Furthermore, he no longer owned a pair of socks without holes, and was down to his last two pairs of clean underwear. "Where is this street fair? I'll come with you."

Daphne grinned. "Excellent. Alis, I'll see you later for dinner, okay?"

Alister smiled and waved goodbye as they left, trying to banish the strange feeling that she knew him from somewhere. That was ridiculous, of course; they had only just met, hadn't they?

Descending the stairs put Luciola and Daphne right in the middle of the street fair. Rows of tables had been set up to display whatever their owners had to sell—secondhand clothes, old jewelry, used books, and appliances in questionable states of repair. Daphne left him to his own devices. "I won't be far. The shirts were over by 413 if you want to look."

Luciola wandered down the nearest row, casting disinterested glances at the tables. _This section seems to be mostly knickknacks and cheap jewelry. There's nothing of interest to me…hello, what's this?_

An old Guild man was sitting at a table spread with a variety of knives. Luciola went over to him, and the man grinned. "You like my knives, boy?"

Luciola inspected his wares. Most of them were old-fashioned collector's items—very shiny, but ultimately useless. However, one caught his eye. It had a brass wire-wrapped handle and a hand guard shaped like a half-moon. "This one is part of a set. Where's the other half?"

The man sighed heavily. "I used to be quite the fighter in my youth. I'm afraid I gave it to my partner to replace the one he broke…before his death. That knife and its twin are supposed to share one sheath. They never will again, now. If you'd like it, I can give you this other sheath to use."

_Two knives in one sheath…_ "I'll give you twenty Claudia for it."

"Hmmph. After hearing my life story, that's the best you can do? Fifty."

"Thirty-five."

"Deal." The man briskly shoved the knife into a sheath; Luciola hooked it onto his belt and turned to go. Instead, however, he spotted a horribly familiar face.

Before he could slink away, Lucius saw him and waved cheerily. "Hey! What brings you here?"

Inwardly, Luciola groaned. On the outside, he was careful to present a friendly expression. "Just some shopping."

Lucius shrugged. "Yeah, me too. I was wondering…um, this'll probably seem kind of sudden, but do you have any plans for later this evening? Some people on my block are throwing a party, see, and so I was wondering if you'd like to come with me."

…_He __is__ asking me out. What do I do?_ He had never been in this situation before. Luckily, he was saved from having to make a response as Daphne came up next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You look flustered, Luce. This guy bothering you?"

Luciola cast her a desperate glance. _Be my alibi here._ She grinned at him and turned to Lucius. "A party? Yeah, sure, we'll go with you."

Lucius turned red. "…Sorry, I didn't know you had a girlfriend. I'll…just be going now, yeah. See you around."

Once he left, Daphne gave Luciola a questioning look. "I don't know what your problem was—that guy was cute! But I guess you're not interested in anyone other than your Dio, huh?"

Now it was Luciola's turn to blush.

&

It was a clear night, and the sky was filled with stars. Dio sat in the grass in front of the house, staring up at them in silence. Claus joined him. "Wow, the sky's bright tonight."

Slowly, Dio spoke. "Immelmann, do you see that star there? The bright one?"

Claus nodded.

The moonlight made Dio's hair glow; the scars on his forehead glistened in it. "That star's going to fall to earth soon. That star, and the fireflies with it."

Claus stared at him. Then, silently, he went back into the house. This was not good, not good at all.


	11. Eleventh Light

The town had grown substantially, and now sprawled over nearly half a mile of ramshackle houses, stores, and storage barns. Dio and Dunya were making another supply run and since he had been free, she had invited him. She had even given him some money—supposedly to make his own purchases, but Dio knew it was meant for groceries.

There seemed to be more Guilders mixed in with the population, or maybe he was just noticing them more. The other townspeople no longer gave them such a wide berth, and in some cases even mixed freely with them. Dio spotted the young girl in the orange vest from before haggling over prices with a woodcutter, and a middle-aged woman walked down the street deep in conversation with her neighbor, a Guild woman of similar age.

Dio tried to stay away from the Guild members. _If one of them recognizes me…they'll raise the alarm, and the whole town could turn against me. Me and my friends._

A middle-aged man, hat pulled low over his eyes, had spread out a blanket next to the bakery, laden with jewelry and other sparkly things. Dunya glanced at it curiously. Dio, attracted by the shining metal, stopped to look.

The man's head tilted down, and Dio thought he was asleep until he cast his eyes upwards. "Oh. Did you want to take a look at my wares? Only the finest quality, I promise."

Dunya eyed a set of jasper earrings appreciatively. Dio cast a cursory glance over the jewels—such things didn't interest him much. _Although they are nice and shiny. If this guy can afford to sell things like these, why hasn't he built a store yet? Hey, this is…_

Although the man's merchandise was mostly jewelry, there was one item set apart—a straight-bladed knife with a guard shaped like a half-moon and a hilt wrapped in brass wire. The blade did not completely fit the sheath.

"That knife…"

The man blinked. "This old thing? It's brought its owners nothing but bad luck. I'm not even sure it's sharp anymore. That'll be ten Claudia."

Dunya laid a hand on Dio's shoulder. "Do you actually want that?"

Dio nodded. _I'm not sure why, but that knife feels…important somehow. I want it. _"You said it yourself—it's old, probably rusty and quite probably bad luck as well. Three Claudia."

"Three?! This thing is a family heirloom; I couldn't possibly let it go for anything below seven Claudia."

Dio's eyes narrowed. "Five."

The vendor met his gaze and flinched. "Fine. Here, take it."

He reached for the knife, but Dunya got to it first. "I'll hold on to this for you, Dio. You'll need both hands free to carry groceries."

He pouted, resisting the urge to point out that the sheath came with a belt clip. She avoided his gaze. No matter how much better he had supposedly gotten, she did not entirely trust him with sharp objects.

&

Luciola sighed heavily. One of the many purchases Daphne had made at the fair was a large bottle of hydrogen peroxide, which she had insisted on using as soon as possible. Therefore, she had decided to do his hair. And he, in a moment of weakness, had agreed to let her.

He shifted in his seat, and she smacked him with her scissors. "Stop moving, you'll make me mess up your hair."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, but nevertheless held perfectly still as she continued to clip his hair. It hadn't actually gotten much longer, but it was starting to flop over his forehead again. When it was back to an acceptable length, she would bleach it again. As it was, it was a bad idea to distract her when she had so much to do.

Alister slid the door open. She was wearing a knee-length black skirt and a white tank top. "Is this right?"

Daphne beamed. "Yes, hold still. Luce, don't move." She left her standing position behind Luciola and rushed to Alister's side, gathering the excess fabric of the waistband in one hand. Since she and Alister had nearly identical waist measurements, Daphne had asked the younger girl to model the skirt she bought in order to take it in. Now she knelt at Alister's side, carefully marking the cloth with a fabric pen.

"Okay, thank you. You can go change out of that skirt now. I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't know anybody who I'd trust to do alterations and I couldn't exactly start altering the skirt while I was wearing it."

Alister smiled. "Don't mention it. I was happy to help."

Daphne tossed a smirk in Luciola's direction. "Speaking of help…Luce was going to let me bleach his hair. You want to help hold him down?"

Alister blinked. Hastily, Luciola spoke up. "That won't be necessary, Miss Agrew."

Daphne shrugged. "Necessary, no. Funny, yes."

He glared at her, and she quickly changed the subject. "Alis, you can go change. I have to do Luce's hair. See you around, okay?"

&

Dunya sighed and read off the list of items they needed for the second time. "White and black thread, smoked pork, garlic, onions, tomatoes, milk, eggs, rye bread—and it has to be rye, not white—cheese, a nice fat chicken, and a copy of the _Odysseid_ for Irena. Do you think you can handle a trip to the grocer's?"

Dio hesitated. Dunya reassured him, pressing a few more Claudia into his hand. "The woman who owns it is from Disith. She'll give you a lower price if you tell her Dunya Scheer sent you."

He smiled faintly. "Okay."

The town was crowded today. Of course, it was always crowded. While houses were constantly being built, many were no better than shacks. So far, the population of the blue planet, despite containing a number of Guild members and more than a few highly skilled humans, had only two or three plumbers and no gas lines. The wood-burning stoves quickly made most houses highly uncomfortable to be in, so most of the townspeople spent the day outside.

_And then_, Dio thought sourly, _they insist on milling around the streets like a herd of spectacularly stupid cows. _He reserved special enmity for the fat woman in front of him plodding along as though she hadn't a care in the world and thus making it impossible for him to pass her. Finally, she turned a corner, allowing him to get ahead of her.

As he crossed the street to the grocery, someone grabbed his sleeve. "Dio Eraclea? Principal Dio?"

He stopped dead. All around him, time seemed to slow down as well. He stared into the face of a harried-looking Guilder clutching a clipboard and a pen. "…What do you want?"

The man at least had the good grace to look slightly sheepish. "Ah…that is…my name is Gaius Sallust. I'm writing a book about the fall of the Guild and the awakening of Exile and, well…"

Sometimes when Luciola was annoyed, his voice became even more devoid of emotion than usual. Dio had never been able to copy that tone perfectly, but he suspected he was doing a fairly good imitation. "A book. And you decided to come to me for information. Why?"

"Errr…well, you are a minor celebrity around these parts."

For a few seconds, Dio could only stand and gawk. "A celebrity?" _No, no, no…I thought I was safe, that nobody would recognize me, that I could go on living…_

The man shrugged. "Well, yes. People talk, you know. And if I had a quote or two from you…well, it would certainly help my sales."

Before, Dio had been annoyed. Now he was angry, and he suddenly found himself wishing he had a knife in his hand. Sallust gasped as he grabbed his wrist. "So you're writing a book about the fall of the Guild and you think that I will be able to help you? You know that the Maestro Delphine was evil, but do you know what she did to me? Do you know what my own sister did to me? _She broke my mind_. And she…she…"

He trailed off, trembling uncontrollably. "Luciola's the one; if you want to know about the fall of the Guild, you should ask him, he did it. Immelmann told me he made the palace base crash to earth to save me."

Sallust laid a hand on his shoulder, concerned. "And…where is this Luciola now?"

Dio glared at him, wrenching himself out of the man's grasp. "As far as you're concerned, he's dead. You might as well forget about information for that book, understand? I don't remember anything, and those that do certainly aren't going to share it with _you_."

Sallust paled. "I'm truly sorry to bother you, but I—"

"No buts. We have a good life here, free of the Guild. And you think that you can disrupt it—that you can just pull me off the street and expect me to answer your questions—to write a _book_? To increase your sales? To make your name known far and wide and get your book published throughout the blue planet?"

Sallust winced. "…Thank you for your time." Only after he turned on his heel and left did Dio realize that their argument had attracted a small crowd. People who had previously been intent only on their own lives had stopped in the street to watch his outburst. Most of them, judging by their faces and the chatter that arose, were solidly on Dio's side. As his gaze flicked from one face to the next, they dispersed and went about their business.

Dio shivered. _A book…about me. He'll use any source of information he can find no matter how accurate it is. Who knows how it'll portray the fall of the Guild, the battle I can't remember? Oh, Luciola…you could set the facts straight if you were here. Please…when Exile comes, tell me everything._

He shook his head as though to rid himself of bad thoughts. _Okay, groceries. Eggs, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and cheese. I can handle that._

&

Luciola's hair felt stiff and spiky, but it was blessedly neat and looked surprisingly close to his old color. The hydrogen peroxide had done a good job bleaching his hair to something approaching platinum blond.

Daphne was knitting socks again. As she knit, she spoke. "Hey, Luciola."

"Hmm?"

She fixed him with a level gaze. "You know, Exile will be entering the blue planet's atmosphere in a few hours. And, well…I was thinking. We've been traveling together for over two months, and you know pretty much all the interesting stuff about me, but I don't know anything about you."

Luciola was silent for a while, thinking. Finally, he spoke. "What do you want to know?"

She shrugged carelessly. "Anything, really. Hobbies, favorite foods, what you do in your spare time, what kind of music you like…you know, normal things. What do you like?"

…_Normal? _"I don't have any preferences as far as music or food, though I suppose I do like spicy things. As for hobbies…" He paused, trying to think of the best way to phrase it. "I trained extensively in a variety of martial arts from childhood in order to protect Lord Dio.I didn't have any time for hobbies."

Daphne winced. "Sounds like loads of fun. Actually, umm, what I really wanted to know was…" Luciola noticed her lean back in her seat as though to put as much distance between them as possible before she continued. "How did you die?"

He made a point of avoiding her gaze. _She's not going to like hearing this._ "Lord Dio was captured by the Guild, and Maestro Delphine put him through the Rite of the Covenant. It left his mind…damaged. Badly damaged. In order to rescue him, as well as his friends, I had to create a distraction."

"Since your Dio's still alive, you clearly succeeded. How?" Daphne was sitting up in her chair now, paying rapt attention. Her face was grim.

Luciola shut his eyes as his memories of that day flashed back into his mind. "I planted a series of explosives throughout the Guild palace. Lord Dio and his friends took the only escape route, so to buy them time…I slaughtered my way through Delphine's elite guards, including my brother Cicada."

Daphne dropped her knitting needles. "Y-you killed your own _brother_…How? How could you do that?"

Luciola clenched his fists, feeling the old rage burn though his limbs. "He led Lord Dio into the Covenant chamber. While my lord screamed for me, while his mind was shattered into a thousand pieces, Cicada did _nothing_. And in the end…he was in my way."

Her voice trembled. "But if you were willing to do that, then you must have killed Delphine too, right? Right?"

"No."

He had never seen her truly angry before. It was strange how she curled in on herself, almost as though preparing to attack. "Were you _insane_? From what I've heard about Delphine besides the trickles of information you've given me, she was completely evil. So why didn't you kill her when you had the chance? Did one of those guards cripple you or something by the time you reached her? Was the whole ship blowing up already?"

"None of the guards touched me. They were dead before they could even draw their weapons. But the Maestro…" He shivered. "She…she held my lord's sanity in her hands. I could not kill her while he was so fragile. And even if I had killed her, I would still be dead. Lord Dio and his friends took the only means of transportation. My only priority was to get them out safely, no matter the cost to myself."

Daphne's eyes narrowed. "Luciola, I'm sorry, but you are an idiot and I _don't care_ if you kill me for saying that, because it's true. Forget about yourself, what about all the other people in the alliance that Delphine killed? You could have prevented all that if you'd killed her first."

Luciola stared at his hands. "I know, but I didn't. And she's still dead." _Now, all I can do is keep moving forwards with my life. Lord Dio…are you still waiting? I'm coming to you soon._

&

The sun was setting, turning the sky a vivid purplish-red. As it went down, Dio left the house and stared at the sky. There were two stars visible already. Lavie finished her dinner and joined him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Dio, are you alright? Dunya heard you had some trouble in town today."

"I'm fine. Hey, Lavie…do you see that star?"

He lifted a hand, pointing at the brighter of the two stars. Lavie followed his gaze and shrugged. "That's just the evening star, the same as every night."

He shook his head. "No. That star…that star is Exile, and it'll fall to earth soon. The fireflies are coming out, too."

Lavie blinked slowly. "Errr…Dio? There aren't any fireflies out."

Dio smiled. "Just wait, then. You'll see them."

She sighed and went back into the house. As she turned her back on him, she missed seeing the first firefly of the evening light up in the grass.


	12. Firefly Swarm

Exile landed in a field of grass. The same ramp which had served to load all the passengers on now opened again, this time to let them out.

In the middle of the throng, Luciola shifted his weight from foot to foot, bored. It had been the work of a few minutes to grab his bag and leave, but it looked as though unloading their vanship would take considerably longer. Daphne had insisted that he, in her words, "get dressed up nice", and so he had bought and was wearing a slightly worn pair of brown slacks and a white shirt. The collar itched, and the shoes he had bought to wear with it had a stain that looked suspiciously like blood on the uppers. Then again, that was probably why they had been so cheap.

Daphne had left him in the crowd to help Tatiana and Alister unload their vanship. The lights of a town were visible in the distance; it seemed that people were still up and about despite the late hour.

_Or maybe Exile's descent woke them up. They could hardly fail to miss it, after all._

It was still summer, but the wind was cold. One by one, people started to move towards the town. Some walked and some ran, but they were all heading to the same place. As the crowd separated, Luciola was free to run, and so he did. He thought he might burst with nerves if he didn't.

_Lord Dio is here. He must be here. It's only a matter of time now._

&

Dio paced in front of his house. He felt odd for some reason, restless. _Something is happening. Something is going to happen soon. What? What's coming?_ He rubbed his forehead, feeling the smooth scar tissue where his Guild mark had been. His thoughts whirled like the wind before a storm.

A swarm of fireflies buzzed around him, illuminating his form. Dunya had been persuaded to hand over the knife he had bought; he drew it from the sheath to watch the flashing lights reflect off the blade. It was double-edged and still sharp.

He spun it and tossed it from hand to hand, feeling its weight. _Well, the balance is good, at least. So it's not just decoration._ Something about the blade caught his attention, and he stared at it. It was too dark to be made of steel, and the light shining on it caused to glitter in an odd way. _This knife is a Guild weapon._

He dropped the knife in shock and sunk to his knees. _Why? Why can't I escape them? No matter what I do or how far I go… _"They won't leave me alone."

"Dio?"

The fireflies stopped flashing. He looked up to see Irena silhouetted in the doorway. Her face could not be seen, but she sounded concerned. "Come back inside, my sister's worried about you. It's past midnight."

She left the doorway to offer him her hand. Quickly, he sheathed his knife. "It's getting chilly; come on."

He shook his head. "Not yet."

Irena shrugged. "Suit yourself, then. Is there any reason why you've decided to sit around out here in the dark by yourself, or is it just something you wanted to do on a whim? I know it's a bit crowded inside…"

He turned away from her, staring in the direction of the town. He could hear the faint sounds of a celebration. "Exile has landed. Someone…someone important to me is coming here. I have to greet him when he does."

She sat down next to him in the dust, smoothing her skirt out. "Would you like me to wait with you?"

"If you want."

She grinned at him; the fireflies' light reflected off her teeth. "So, have you ever read the _Odysseid_?"

He blinked. _What kind of question is that?_ "Of course. My…my tutors started me on the unabridged version when I was nine."

"Well then, while you're waiting, maybe you can sum it up for me and I can tell my brothers and Katya all about it."

Dio was surprised to find himself smiling. "Sure. It's a sequel to the _Illiad_, which you've read. Laertiades, who you should remember as a general in the Achaean army, sets off for home after the war is over. It should have been a quick trip, but…"

&

The town's layout lacked any sort of formal planning, with the end result being that the buildings sprawled outwards from the center in a rough circle shape. Luciola realized this as he drew closer and the open fields suddenly gave way to shabby buildings. His lungs burned, so he slowed to a walk.

The town was a hive of activity. As the newcomers saw their friends and relatives, they rushed to greet them. Amidst all this bustle and merriment, Luciola walked alone.

He sighed and sat down on a convenient crate, thinking. Searching such a large area would be impractical. As time-consuming and possibly pointless as it was, he supposed asking random townspeople if they'd seen Claus or Dio was a better idea. _Better yet, I'll ask them if they've seen Lavie. Claus' hair and eyes are fairly common, but nobody could mistake red hair like hers._

A man with a Guild mark walked past, wearing the bloodstained apron of a butcher. He stopped in front of Luciola, looking at him curiously. "You must be one of the new arrivals. No family around here, huh?"

Luciola blinked and shook his head. _Why is he talking to me?_ "No, but I am looking for somebody. Have you seen a girl with short red hair recently?"

The man frowned, thinking. "Not recently, but yeah, I know who you mean. Miss Lavie Head, right? Wait right here; I'll go ask the grocer if he's seen her."

He ran off. Luciola scanned the crowd as he departed, searching for a hint of white hair. _There are a lot of Guild members here, but none of them have white hair…wait. Over there…no, not short enough. _He sighed. _I hope that man comes back soon._

As if on cue, the butcher jogged back up to him. "Hey, kid. The old man who runs the general store saw her just the other day. She lives about five minutes out of town, by the dirt road."

Luciola nodded gratefully before the man's words even registered. "Wait a minute. How did you know who I'm looking for?"

He shrugged. "Everyone knows Miss Head and Mr. Valca; they're celebrities around here! They were responsible for helping take down that woman, and the first people to settle here. I should warn you, they don't do interviews."

Luciola felt a smile spread across his face. "That's alright, I'm a friend of theirs. The main road, right?" He would have left then, but something stopped him. "And if a girl with black wavy hair and a blue dress comes by, point her in that direction too."

"Yeah, good l—!"

Luciola took off at a run, dodging through the crowd. Whatever the man had been about to say was lost; he could hear nothing except the blood pounding in his ears.

_So close…Finally, after all this time, I know where he is. _

&

"…Anyway, after what she'd been through, his loyal wife wanted to make sure it was really her husband standing in front of her, so she told her servant to move their bed. Now, what only she and Laertiades knew was that the bed couldn't be moved—one of the bedposts was carved out of a tree that he had cut down to build the house, and it was still rooted in the ground. When she gave the order, he blurted out that there was no way the bed could be moved, and she knew for sure that he was her husband."

Dio paused and grinned at his audience. Because of Exile landing, Dunya had let her younger siblings stay up late. One by one, they had joined Irena outside. Aleksander was bored and sleepy, but the rest were listening, engrossed in the story. _Wow, and it's only a summary. I hope they enjoy the actual book this much._

Katya raised her hand. "So then what happened?"

He shrugged. "Then they all lived happily ever after…well, except for the suitors, since they're dead."

Katya cheered. The door behind her opened, and Dunya poked her head out. "Okay, now you really do have to get ready for bed, everyone. Dio, _please_ come back in."

The children groaned, but they all obeyed their sister. Dio stood and stretched, shaking his head. "Not yet. Someone's coming, and I have to be there when they arrive."

Dunya sighed and went back inside. She was sure he'd come back in when it got colder.

Dio stared in the direction of the town. _Something is coming, but I can only wait here for now. Luciola…you're getting closer, and there's nothing I can do but wait._ Slowly, he sat down in the dust and picked up the knife he had dropped earlier. A white moth fluttered out of the grass and around his head.

He glanced at it blankly. _This moth…it reminds me of the Guild, for some reason._ His eyes narrowed and the blade flashed in the moonlight, cleaving the moth in half. As the two halves began to fall to the ground, he sliced it into quarters.

The fireflies in the grass came out again, buzzing around the moth's corpse and Dio's feet. He smiled. _Luciola…_

From town, Dio thought he could hear the faint sound of someone running.

&

Luciola ran.

His lungs were burning, his legs ached, but he couldn't stop moving forwards. _So long…it took me so long to reach this point. Lord Dio…please, please be there. If you aren't, I… _He slowed to a walk to catch his breath. _I'm living in a body that's not my own, with a face that's not my own. If Lord Dio isn't there, if this is another dead end, I don't think I could go on living._

He shook his head, irritated. _I can't keep thinking about things like that, not when I'm so close._

Much farther down the road, he spotted something that took his breath away—a figure in white, standing next to a dark mass. His eyes went wide in shock. _White—white hair—oh, Lord Dio._

He broke into a run again, faster. As he ran, the shape resolved itself into a young man standing in the road by a small house. He was almost level with them when a cloud of fireflies rose in front of him, so dense that it was like facing a wall of flashing lights. And then, as quickly as they appeared, they passed, leaving him standing in front of the one person he had spent so much time trying to find.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

&

The man stared at him, shaking. His eyes were bright with tears. Dio stared back at him. _He's different. His face, eyes, body…it's all different. He's taller than—than he was before. That's not his natural hair color, either. But still, something about him…the way he carries himself…_ He had to choke back a sob for a few seconds. _It can't be. But…_ His voice came out in a whisper. "That night when we were small…that first night after Delphine gave me to you, and I shared my food with you under the table after everyone else was gone…what did I whisper in your ear?"

The man swallowed hard. "I remember. 'You know what we are, Luciola? We're friends.'"

The tears Dio had been trying to hold back spilled over. "Luc…Luciola? Luciola!"

He nodded, trembling. "…Lord Dio."

Dio flung himself into his arms.

&

Luciola wrapped his arms around Dio as tightly as he could. He was half afraid he might vanish if he didn't. _He seems smaller than before, or maybe it's because this body is taller. He cut his hair or had someone do it for him_. _And he's wearing someone else's cast-off clothes; probably Claus'. _He felt an odd twinge of jealousy at this realization.

_And his face…_ "Lord Dio, what happened to your Guild mark?"

Dio lifted his head from Luciola's shoulder to stare at him before disentangling one arm to push his bangs away from his forehead. "I had to get rid of it."

Luciola gasped at the sight. Pale scars crisscrossed each other on Dio's forehead; one nicked his left eyebrow. Any sign that there had ever been a Guild mark on his forehead had been obliterated. With trembling fingers, he reached up to touch the spot where it had once been.

"Lord Dio, I…"

"Stop." Dio smiled at him. "I don't want you to call me 'lord' anymore, okay? I'm not a Guild member anymore, and neither are you."

_That's not what I was going to say. I was going to tell you…Lord Dio, I was going to tell you that I love you._

But as he gazed into Dio's eyes, he found it didn't need to be said.

Dio's head thudded back onto his shoulder. "Everyone told me you were dead, that you died to save me…but you came back. I knew you would."

Luciola realized he was smiling. "Of course I did. And I'll never leave you again."


End file.
